Animal Consciousness: Some Philosophical, Methodological, and Evolutionary Problems

No consensus exists concerning the mechanisms, distribution,or adaptive significance of consciousness. Agreement on anyone of these issues would aid in resolving others. Given a reliablebehavioral or neuroanatomical test for consciousness, we couldmap its distribution and describe its evolution. Conversely,if we knew its distribution, we could assess its adaptive valueand look for similarly distributed neuroanatomies to help usget at its mechanisms. Morgan's Canon—the rule that we should avoid attributinghumanlike mental states to other animals whenever possible—impedesthe use of the comparative method in unraveling this knot. Ifinterpreted in this context as a parsimony criterion, Morgan'sCanon is logically equivalent to epiphenomenalism. It is parsimoniousif and only if conscious mental events play no causal role inhuman behavior and human consciousness has no adaptive significance.Rejecting this conclusion entails rejecting the parsimony interpretationof Morgan's Canon.     

Mapping of the gene for anti-müllerian hormone to the short arm of human chromosome 19

The gene coding for human anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) was localized to subbands p13.2----p13.3 on chromosome 19, using in situ hybridization and Southern blot analysis of a panel of man-mouse and man-hamster somatic cell hybrids.     

下丘脑外侧区注射TRH对大鼠胃酸分泌的影响

本文采用连续收集胃腔灌流法,观察下丘脑外侧区(LHA)注射促甲状腺激素释放激素(TRH)对大鼠胃酸分泌的影响,并分析TRH在LHA促进胃酸分泌的作用机制。结果表明:(1)LHA注射TRH(1μg)明显地刺激胃酸分泌;(2)预先向LHA注射酚妥拉明(10μg)、美多心安(5μg)及胃泌素抗体1μl(1:640)并不影响TRH的泌酸作用,如预先向LHA注射阿托品(5μg)则可消除TRH的泌酸效应;(3)垂体摘除及肾上腺切除均不影响TRH的泌酸作用;(4)隔下迷走神经切断后,LHA注入TRH的泌酸效应仍然出现,但持续时间显著缩短;腹腔交感神经节摘除后,TRH仍能促进胃酸分泌,但分泌量少而平稳。以上结果提示:LHA是TRH中枢泌酸效应的有关结构之一,其中枢机制是通过胆碱能M受体中介的,腹腔交感神经节和膈下迷走神经是TRH泌酸效应的传出途径。前者引起的泌酸反应出现较早且引起泌酸高峰,但持续时间短;后者则引起低平的持续分泌。     

中华白蛉的自育性研究

现场及实验室结果表明,我国黄土高原的大多数中华白蛉(Phlebotomus chinensis)应属自育性品系,它通常在羽化后、吸血前经交配能依靠腹节内脂肪体发育卵泡,一般在产卵后始行吸血。其生理性状是:胃内无血、腹节内有大量块状或条状脂肪体。羽化24小时后,附腺内有暗色颗粒,卵巢内有发育的卵泡。在25℃士1℃下它的生活史分快、慢两型。快型从卵至成虫仅需44—50夭,慢型需要以四龄幼虫滞育,其长短随滞育期而定,最长的滞育期达301天。观察了白蛉幼虫在饥饿状态下对自育性的影响。此外,还比较了吸血白蛉与自育性白蛉的妊卵数。吸血白蛉的妊卵数约较自育性的高出1/5。这种自育性品系的中华白蛉在自然居群约内占92%、主要栖于洞穴内为野栖种类。本文对自育性中华白蛉的生态及其防制策略作了分析和讨论。     

Prepubertal treatment with estrogen or testosterone precipitates the loss of regular estrous cyclicity and normal gonadotropin secretion in adult female rats

To examine the effects of prepubertal steroid environment on subsequent estrous cyclicity and gonadotropin secretion, Silastic implants containing 25, 50 or 100% 17 beta-estradiol (E2;n=34), 50% diethylstilbestrol (DES; n=16) or 50% testosterone (T; n=17) were placed into female rats at 12 days of age and removed on the day of vaginal opening (18-24 days of age). At 80 days of age, the percentages of regularly cycling females in the E2-(three groups combined), DES- and T-implanted groups were 59%, 0% and 59%, respectively. By 110 days of age, the percentages were reduced to 24%, 0% and 0%, and at 140 days of age 6%, 0% and 0%, respectively. Many of these females displayed irregular estrous cycles followed by a persistent estrous (PE) state. By contrast, 89% of the control females (blank implants or no implant) maintained regular cycles up to 140 days of age. At 150 days of age, an i.p. injection of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH; 100 ng/100 g BW) markedly increased serum luteinizing hormone (LH), but not follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), in intact PE females treated prepubertally with E2 implants. After the test with GnRH, PE rats were ovariectomized (OVX). Thirty days after OVX, similar GnRH administration significantly increased serum levels of both LH and FSH, but these responses were significantly (P less than 0.01) reduced when compared with those in OVX controls. Progesterone administration to estradiol benzoate-primed, acutely (3 days) OVX, or long-term (43 days) OVX-PE females did not increase LH or FSH release. These results indicate that exposure to exogenous estrogen or T prior to puberty precipitates the decline in estrous cyclicity associated with the loss of gonadotropin surge response, presumably due to an alteration in hypothalamic GnRH release.     

中国拟盘多毛孢属真菌的七个新组合

作者按照Steyaert(1949)和Sutton(1980)的分类观点,对1987—1988年从我国广西、江西、浙江等地采集的Pestalotiopsis属真菌进行了研究,确认了拟盘多毛孢属真菌的7个新组合种,即Pestalotiopsis carveri(Guba)comb nov.,Pestalotiopsis elasticae(Koord.)comb.nov.,Pestalotiopsis langloisii(Guba)comb.nov.,Pestalotiopsis oleandri(Guba)comb.nov.,Pestalotiopsis sinensis(shen)comb.nov.,Pestalotiopsis sydowiana(Bres.)comb.nov.和Pestalotiopsis zahlbruckneriana(Bres.)comb.nov.     

斜胸叶蝉属一新种（同翅目：叶蝉总科：耳叶蝉科）

本文记述耳叶蝉科斜胸叶蝉属一新种:黄缘斜胸叶蝉Epiclinata flavomarinata sp.nov.。标本采自我国西藏。文中描述了新种的外部形态及雄性外生殖器构造特征,并与近似种进行比较,附有主要特征图。模式标本保存于中国科学院动物研究所。