Change of cholinergic transmission and memory deficiency induced by injection of β-amyloid protein into NBM of rats

The change of cholinergic transmission of ?-amyloid protein (β-AP) treated rats was studied by intracerebral microdialysis sampling combined with HPLC analysis. β-AP_1—40 was injected into nucleus basalis magnocellularis (NBM). Passive avoidance response test (step-down test) and delayed alternation task were used for memory testing. The impairment of memory after injection of β-AP_1—40 into NBM exhibited mainly the deficiency of short-term working memory. One week after injection of β-AP_1—40 the release of acetylcholine (ACh) from frontal cortex of freely-moving rats decreased significantly, and the response of cholinergic nerve ending to the action of high [K⁺] solution was rather weak. In control animals the percentage of increase of ACh-release during behavioral performance was 57%, while in β-AP_1—40-treated rats it was 34%. The temporary increase of the ACh-release of the rat put into a new place was also significantly diminished in β-AP_1—40-treated rats. The results show that the injection of β-AP_1—40 into NBM impairs the cholinergic transmission in frontal cortex, and the impairment of cholinergic transmission may be the main cause of the deficit of working memory.     

The fecundity patterns of S and L type rotifers of Brachionus plicatilis

Fecundity patterns of S and L type rotifers Brachionus plicatilis, which were previously found to have distinct growth ability, were analyzed using data of age-specific fecundity. The data were obtained by individual cultures of S and L type strains at 17, 24 and 34 °C. The pattern was analyzed by using normal probability functions. When the age was transformed into logarithmic value, the S and L types had an identical pattern of fecundity at every temperature. This fact indicates that the difference of the growth response to the temperature between S and L type strains stemmed only from the differences in net reproduction rate, not from the pattern.     

害虫防治决策的复序贯分析方法及抽样技术研究

复序贯抽样决策技术实际应用的受限 ,原因在于截止限序贯抽样模型的缺乏。本文在检验昆虫种群空间格局回归模型的基础上 ,推导出了目前国内常用检验回归模型的截止限序贯抽样模型 ,并将其运用于复序贯分析决策过程中。实例分析表明 ,对于同一种生物种群 ,在一定的精度 (D)和置信水平(tα)要求下 ,复序贯抽样决策技术可以大幅度地节约抽样成本     

Resilience indicators: prospects and limitations for early warnings of regime shifts

In the vicinity of tipping points—or more precisely bifurcation points—ecosystems recover slowly from small perturbations. Such slowness may be interpreted as a sign of low resilience in the sense that the ecosystem could easily be tipped through a critical transition into a contrasting state. Indicators of this phenomenon of ‘critical slowing down (CSD)’ include a rise in temporal correlation and variance. Such indicators of CSD can provide an early warning signal of a nearby tipping point. Or, they may offer a possibility to rank reefs, lakes or other ecosystems according to their resilience. The fact that CSD may happen across a wide range of complex ecosystems close to tipping points implies a powerful generality. However, indicators of CSD are not manifested in all cases where regime shifts occur. This is because not all regime shifts are associated with tipping points. Here, we review the exploding literature about this issue to provide guidance on what to expect and what not to expect when it comes to the CSD-based early warning signals for critical transitions.     

柑橘全爪螨空间格局与抽样技术的研究

本应用空间分布型统计参数IwaoM-X模型中α,β及6个聚集指标分析了柑橘全爪螨的空间格局,并对抽样技术进行了探讨。结果表明,柑橘全爪螨的空间格局为聚集型;田间的抽样部位是上、中、下三部的叶片。提出了估算柑橘全爪螨在不同虫口密度下的理论抽样数。     

The Autocovariance Function for Marked Point Processes: A Comparison between Two Different Approaches

Exploratory analysis of marked point patterns has previously been conducted using two disjoint techniques, namely the mark correlation function and spectral analysis. Our purpose here is to present two alternative autocovariance estimators to the mark correlation function which not only apply in both planar and lattice situations, but which in the lattice case can also be considered in terms of the inverse Fourier transform of the spectrum. Moreover, they can be applied to isotropic or anisotropic marked point patterns. Various examples are presented to show how these estimators perform when applied to data sets possessing different kinds of mark structure, and a rank test procedure is proposed to enable the construction of empirical tests of hypothesis.     

Isolation and Study of Some Properties of Laccase from the Basidiomycetes Cerrena maxima

A new strain producing extracellular laccase (Cerrena maxima 0275) was found by screening of isolates of Basidiomycetes, and the dynamics of laccase biosynthesis by this strain was studied. The enzyme was purified to homogeneity. The molecular weight of the enzyme is 57 kD, and its pI is 3.5. The activity is constant at pH values in the range 3.0-5.0. The temperature optimum for activity is 50°C. The thermal stability of the laccase was studied. The catalytic and Michaelis constants for catechol, hydroquinone, sinapinic acid, and K₄ Fe(CN)₆ were determined. The standard redox potential of type 1 copper in the enzyme is 750 ± 5 mV. Thus, the investigated laccase is a high redox potential laccase.     

Parametric analysis of the ratio-dependent predator–prey model

We present a complete parametric analysis of stability properties and dynamic regimes of an ODE model in which the functional response is a function of the ratio of prey and predator abundances. We show the existence of eight qualitatively different types of system behaviors realized for various parameter values. In particular, there exist areas of coexistence (which may be steady or oscillating), areas in which both populations become extinct, and areas of "conditional coexistence" depending on the initial values. One of the main mathematical features of ratio-dependent models, distinguishing this class from other predator-prey models, is that the Origin is a complicated equilibrium point, whose characteristics crucially determine the main properties of the model. This is the first demonstration of this phenomenon in an ecological model. The model is investigated with methods of the qualitative theory of ODEs and the theory of bifurcations. The biological relevance of the mathematical results is discussed both regarding conservation issues (for which coexistence is desired) and biological control (for which extinction is desired).     

辽东山区次生林木本植物空间分布

森林木本植物的空间格局有助于揭示群落结构的形成机制与潜在的生态学过程,且对林分经营具有一定指导意义。在0—50 m尺度范围内综合分析了辽东山区4 hm2温带次生林样地多度10的树种空间格局。研究发现:(1)在完全随机零模型下,大部分树种呈现聚集格局,聚集格局树种的比例随尺度增加而降低;在32 m的较大尺度下,随尺度增加,随机和规则格局成为树种分布的主要形式;(2)在异质性泊松过程零模型下,55.9%的树种呈现随机格局,其余大部分树种在10 m的尺度下呈现聚集格局,且随尺度增加,规则格局成为主要形式;(3)在完全随机零模型下,树种属性(林层、径级和多度)显著地影响种群聚集度,而在异质性泊松过程零模型下,树种属性对种群聚集度不存在显著影响。综上,生境异质性、扩散限制和树种属性部分解释了辽东山区次生林木本植物空间分布格局,相对而言,生境异质性的效应更为突出。研究结果有助于揭示次生林群落生物多样性的维持机制。     

Dust and ammonia in horse stalls with different ventilation rates and bedding

Airborne particles and ammonia were monitored in horse stalls managed under four conditions. Two ventilation rates, high (27 air changes per h) and low (5 air changes per h) and two bedding types, paper and straw, were employed. At both ventilation rates, the number of airborne particles generated while the stalls were mucked out was higher with straw than with paper. Particles were more efficiently cleared at the higher ventilation rate in both the straw and paper stalls. Ammonia measurements reflected an accumulation over time. In the stalls with low ventilation, ammonia levels were significantly higher than in those stalls with high ventilation regardless of bedding type. Management decisions and their relationships to respiratory disorders are discussed.