Collagen chirality and three‐dimensional orientation studied with polarimetric second‐harmonic generation microscopy

Polarization‐dependent second‐harmonic generation (P‐SHG) microscopy is used to characterize molecular nonlinear optical properties of collagen and determine a three‐dimensional (3D) orientation map of collagen fibers within a pig tendon. C₆ symmetry is used to determine the nonlinear susceptibility tensor components ratios in the molecular frame of reference and , where the latter is a newly extracted parameter from the P‐SHG images and is related to the chiral structure of collagen. The is observed for collagen fibers tilted out of the image plane, and can have positive or negative values, revealing the relative polarity of collagen fibers within the tissue. The P‐SHG imaging was performed using a linear polarization‐in polarization‐out (PIPO) method on thin sections of pig tendon cut at different angles. The nonlinear chiral properties of collagen can be used to construct the 3D organization of collagen in the tissue and determine the orientation‐independent molecular susceptibility ratios of collagen fibers in the molecular frame of reference.      

SWIMMING SPEEDS OF SINGING AND NON-SINGING HUMPBACK WHALES DURING MIGRATION

Limited data exist on swimming speeds of humpback whales ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) and none on swimming speeds of singing whales during migration. We tracked humpback whales visually and acoustically during migration from the breeding grounds past our study site on the east coast of Australia (latitude 26°28'S). The mean swimming speed for whales while singing was 2.5 km/h, significantly less than for non-singing whales with a mean of 4.0 km/h but significantly greater than the mean of 1.6 km/h observed for singing whales on the Hawaiian breeding grounds. Between song sessions, there was no significant difference in speeds between whales that had been singing and other whales. Migration speeds were less for whales while singing but increased during the season. Although humpback whales can swim rapidly while singing (maximum observed 15.6 km/h), they generally do not do so, even during migration. Slower migration by singers would delay their return to the polar feeding areas and may be costly, but may be a strategy to provide access to more females.     

Optical resolution by crystallization from melt using enantiomer derivatives as resolving agents: nonlinear behavior of resolving agent mixtures

Substituted racemic 1-phenylethylamine derivatives were reacted in molten phase with chiral N-substituted 1-phenylethylamine dicarboxylic acid derivatives (4-9), and their mixtures (e.g., 4+6, 7+8, etc.) in different ratios, and the crystalline quasi-racemic diastereomers so formed were separated. Nonlinear behavior of the mixtures of resolving agents having related structure and considerable positive and negative chiral-chiral interactions were observed.     

一类捕食-被捕食控制反应扩散方程非线性奇摄动问题

研究了一类非线性反应扩散方程奇摄动问题．在适当的条件下,首先求出了原问题的外部解, 然后利用伸长变量和幂级数展开理论构造出解的形式渐近展开式．最后利用微分不等式理论,讨论了问题解的一致有效性和渐近性态．     

人类最大可持续海洋足迹的模拟

在William Rees ＆ Mathis Wackernagel最初提出的生态足迹模型理论所划分的六类基本生态生产性土地面积中,海洋以其能为人类提供鱼类等海产品而被单独列为水域一项。海洋生物资源是一种典型的可再生资源,人类只有采取合理的开发策略方可保证海洋生物资源最大的可持续生产量。借用生态足迹、生物承载力概念的内涵,提出海洋足迹、海洋承载力两个新概念;运用非线性科学理论在海洋足迹与海洋承载力呈二次非线性关系的假设下,建立海洋承载力二次非线性开发的动力模式,并运用稳定性分析理论对其求解、分析。结果表明：（1）海洋承载力与其增长率呈正相关关系,与海洋足迹增长率呈负相关关系;（2）为保证海洋生物资源的可持续利用,人类必须控制最大海洋足迹增长率为r/xm（r为海洋承载力增长率,xm为最大海洋承载力）,方可获得可持续的最大海洋足迹为rxm/4,此时海洋承载力可以维持在稳定的平衡态（为其最大承载力的一半）。     

Hydration, structure, and molecular interactions in the headgroup region of dioleoylphosphatidylcholine bilayers: an electron spin resonance study

The relationship between bilayer hydration and the dynamic structure of headgroups and interbilayer water in multilamellar vesicles is investigated by electron spin resonance methods. Temperature variations of the order parameter of a headgroup spin label DPP-Tempo in DOPC in excess water and partially dehydrated (10 wt % water) show a cusp-like pattern around the main phase transition, Tc. This pattern is similar to those of temperature variations of the quadrupolar splitting of interbilayer D2O in PC and PE bilayers previously measured by 2H NMR, indicating that the ordering of the headgroup and the interbilayer water are correlated. The cusp-like pattern of these and other physical properties around Tc are suggestive of quasicritical fluctuations. Also, an increase (a decrease) in ordering of DPP-Tempo is correlated with water moving out of (into) interbilayer region into (from) the bulk water phase near the freezing point, Tf. Addition of cholesterol lowers Tf, which remains the point of increasing headgroup ordering. Using the small water-soluble spin probe 4-PT, it is shown that the ordering of interbilayer water increases with bilayer dehydration. It is suggested that increased ordering in the interbilayer region, implying a lowering of entropy, will itself lead to further dehydration of the interbilayer region until its lowered pressure resists further flow, i.e., an osmotic phenomenon.     

1982-2018年中国植被覆盖变化非线性趋势及其格局分析

探究植被覆盖变化是评估陆地生态系统环境变化的重要手段,但现有研究多采用线性趋势来表达植被覆盖的变化情况而忽略了趋势的非线性。本文使用GLASS FVC数据,利用BFAST方法和格局分析,探讨了1982-2018年我国植被覆盖变化的非线性趋势及其分布格局。结果表明：（1）与线性趋势方法的对比发现,BFAST的检测结果揭示了四川盆地、黄土高原等地的植被覆盖显著增加趋势其实存在中断,青海和东北等地植被覆盖经历了由退化到改善的过程而并非简单的线性增加,而青藏高原中东部等地则由原先的改善趋势变为了退化趋势。（2）将非线性趋势结果进行分类,其中单调型增加类型占比最多,达到33.58%,主要分布在内蒙古、陕西及河南等地;单调型减少占比1.82%,主要分布在东南沿海地区;中断型增加占比22.91%,主要分布在四川盆地东部和华北地区;中断型减少占比2.68%,主要分布在青藏高原东南部;由增到减占比4.20%,主要分布在青海等地;由减到增占比14.62%,主要分布在吉林等地。大范围的植被覆盖增加趋势充分反映了我国过去几十年植被的改善,但同时存在的减少趋势表明潜在的植被退化风险仍不可忽视。（3）不同趋势类型发生改变的时间有所差异,总体上1988-1999年间发生的改变较少,而2000-2011年间发生的改变较多,我国21世纪以来实施的大规模生态保护和恢复工程对植被的改善过程有重要影响。（4）分布格局上,植被覆盖改善趋势类型（单调型增加,中断型增加,由减到增）呈现大聚集,小分散的特点,具有复杂的形状;退化趋势类型（单调型减少,中断型减少,由增到减）的面积均较小,分布也相对离散。全国尺度上趋势空间格局呈现一定规律但分布的异质性较大,区域尺度上植被覆盖经受的干扰显著,变化过程实际也是较为复杂的。本研究表明,使用非线性趋势方法和格局分析,可以更准确地评估植被覆盖的时空变化,从而为生态环境相关工作的开展提供科学的参考。     

Equivalence of branched and unbranched Michaelian pathways concerning periodic signal transmission

Sinusoidal oscillation transmission through branched metabolic pathways is studied. Two systems are analyzed, which are composed of two convergent reaction branches and differ in the length of one of them. Linear kinetics is assumed first. Michaelis-Menten enzymes are then considered by using previous results that suggest their behavior with respect to propagation of oscillations is close to linearity around the mean input flux. As a result, there exist ways to modulate the activity of the enzymes so that propagation is equivalent for branched and specific unbranched pathways. Cells may have taken advantage of such a possibility in cases where oscillations have a biological role.     

Numerical simulation of thermal bone necrosis during cementation of femoral prostheses

The implant of a femoral prosthesis is a critical process because of the relatively high temperature values reached at the bone/cement interface during the cementation of the infibulum. In fact, the cement is actually a polymer that polymerizes in situ generating heat. Moreover, the conversion of monomer into polymer is never 100%; this is dangerous because of the toxicity of the monomer. In this paper, we present a 3-D axisymmetric mathematical model capable of taking into account both the geometry of the implant and the chemical/physical properties of the cement. This model, together with its numerical simulation, thus represents a useful tool to set up the optimal conditions for the new materials developed in this orthopaedic field. The real complex geometry is assumed to be a bone/cement/metallic system having cylindrical symmetry, thus allowing the model to be reduced to two space variables. The cementation process is described by the Fourier heat equation coupled with a suitable polymerization kinetics. The numerical approximation is accomplished by semi-implicit finite differences in time and finite elements in space with numerical quadrature. The full discrete scheme amounts to solve linear positive definite symmetric systems preceded by an elementwise algebraic computation. We present various numerical simulations which confirm some critical aspects of this orthopaedic fixing technique such as thermal bone necrosis and the presence of unreacted residual monomer.This work was partially supported by MURST (Fondi per la Ricerca Scientifica 40%) and CNR (IAN, Contract 880032601, and Progetto Finalizzato Sistemi Informatici e Calcolo Parallelo, Sottoprogetto Calcolo Scientifico per Grandi Sistemi) of Italy