A resetting signal between Drosophila pacemakers synchronizes morning and evening activity

The biochemical machinery that underlies circadian rhythms is conserved among animal species and drives self-sustained molecular oscillations and functions, even within individual asynchronous tissue-culture cells. Yet the rhythm-generating neural centres of higher eukaryotes are usually composed of interconnected cellular networks, which contribute to robustness and synchrony as well as other complex features of rhythmic behaviour. In mammals, little is known about how individual brain oscillators are organized to orchestrate a complex behavioural pattern. Drosophila is arguably more advanced from this point of view: we and others have recently shown that a group of adult brain clock neurons expresses the neuropeptide PDF and controls morning activity (small LN(v) cells; M-cells), whereas another group of clock neurons controls evening activity (CRY+, PDF- cells; E-cells). We have generated transgenic mosaic animals with different circadian periods in morning and evening cells. Here we show, by behavioural and molecular assays, that the six canonical groups of clock neurons are organized into two separate neuronal circuits. One has no apparent effect on locomotor rhythmicity in darkness, but within the second circuit the molecular and behavioural timing of the evening cells is determined by morning-cell properties. This is due to a daily resetting signal from the morning to the evening cells, which run at their genetically programmed pace between consecutive signals. This neural circuit and oscillator-coupling mechanism ensures a proper relationship between the timing of morning and evening locomotor activity.     

Coupled oscillators control morning and evening locomotor behaviour of Drosophila

Daily rhythms of physiology and behaviour are precisely timed by an endogenous circadian clock. These include separate bouts of morning and evening activity, characteristic of Drosophila melanogaster and many other taxa, including mammals. Whereas multiple oscillators have long been proposed to orchestrate such complex behavioural programmes, their nature and interplay have remained elusive. By using cell-specific ablation, we show that the timing of morning and evening activity in Drosophila derives from two distinct groups of circadian neurons: morning activity from the ventral lateral neurons that express the neuropeptide PDF, and evening activity from another group of cells, including the dorsal lateral neurons. Although the two oscillators can function autonomously, cell-specific rescue experiments with circadian clock mutants indicate that they are functionally coupled.     

High constitutive activity of native H3 receptors regulates histamine neurons in brain

Some G-protein-coupled receptors display 'constitutive activity', that is, spontaneous activity in the absence of agonist. This means that a proportion of the receptor population spontaneously undergoes an allosteric transition, leading to a conformation that can bind G proteins. The process has been shown to occur with recombinant receptors expressed at high density, and/or mutated, but also non-mutated recombinant receptors expressed at physiological concentrations. Transgenic mice that express a constitutively active mutant of the beta2-adrenergic receptor display cardiac anomalies; and spontaneous receptor mutations leading to constitutive activity are at the origin of some human diseases. Nevertheless, this process has not previously been found to occur in animals expressing normal levels of receptor. Here we show that two isoforms of the recombinant rat H3 receptor display high constitutive activity. Using drugs that abrogate this activity ('inverse agonists') and a drug that opposes both agonists and inverse agonists ('neutral antagonist'), we show that constitutive activity of native H3 receptors is present in rodent brain and that it controls histaminergic neuron activity in vivo. Inverse agonists may therefore find therapeutic applications, even in the case of diseases involving non-mutated receptors expressed at normal levels.     

A gene affecting the specificity of the chemosensory neurons of Drosophila

The sensilla on the proboscis and tarsi of Drosophila contain five neurons, four chemosensory and one mechanosensory. The sugar-sensitive neuron, designated S, carries independent acceptor sites for pyranose, furanose and trehalose. Two others, L1 and L2, respond to salts. The fourth neuron, W, is inhibited by salts and sugars, and is believed to mediate detection of water. We describe here a gene in which mutations alter the neurons in such a way that the S cell is excited by salts. As a result, the mutant flies are strongly attracted by NaCl at concentrations which are repellent to the wild type. To our knowledge, this is the first instance of a mutation which changes the specificity of the chemosensory neurons.     

Distalization of the Drosophila leg by graded EGF-receptor activity

Arthropods and higher vertebrates both possess appendages, but these are morphologically distinct and the molecular mechanisms regulating patterning along their proximodistal axis (base to tip) are thought to be quite different. In Drosophila, gene expression along this axis is thought to be controlled primarily by a combination of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) and Wnt signalling from sources of ligands, Decapentaplegic (Dpp) and Wingless (Wg), in dorsal and ventral stripes, respectively. In vertebrates, however, proximodistal patterning is regulated by receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) activity from a source of ligands, fibroblast growth factors (FGFs), at the tip of the limb bud. Here I revise our understanding of limb development in flies and show that the distal region is actually patterned by a distal-to-proximal gradient of RTK activity, established by a source of epidermal growth factor (EGF)-related ligands at the presumptive tip. This similarity between proximodistal patterning in vertebrates and flies supports previous suggestions of an evolutionary relationship between appendages/body-wall outgrowths in animals.     

Connectivity of chemosensory neurons is controlled by the gene poxn in Drosophila.

The function of the nervous system depends on the formation of a net of appropriate connections, but little is known of the genetic program underlying this process. In Drosophila two genes that specify different types of sense organs have been identified: cut (ct), which specifies the formation of external sense organs as opposed to chordotonal organs, and pox-neuro (poxn), which specifies the formation of poly-innervated (chemosensory) organs as opposed to mono-innervated (mechanosensory) organs. Whether these genes are also involved in specifying the connectivity of the corresponding neurons is not known. The larval sense organs are unsuitable for analysis of the axonal pathway and connections and so we have investigated the effect of poxn on the adult. Here we show that overexpression of poxn induces the morphological transformation of mechanosensory into chemosensory bristles on the legs and that the neurons innervating the morphologically transformed bristles follow pathways and establish connections that are appropriate for chemosensory bristles.     

Corridors of migrating neurons in the human brain and their decline during infancy

The subventricular zone of many adult non-human mammals generates large numbers of new neurons destined for the olfactory bulb. Along the walls of the lateral ventricles, immature neuronal progeny migrate in tangentially oriented chains that coalesce into a rostral migratory stream (RMS) connecting the subventricular zone to the olfactory bulb. The adult human subventricular zone, in contrast, contains a hypocellular gap layer separating the ependymal lining from a periventricular ribbon of astrocytes. Some of these subventricular zone astrocytes can function as neural stem cells in vitro, but their function in vivo remains controversial. An initial report found few subventricular zone proliferating cells and rare migrating immature neurons in the RMS of adult humans. In contrast, a subsequent study indicated robust proliferation and migration in the human subventricular zone and RMS. Here we find that the infant human subventricular zone and RMS contain an extensive corridor of migrating immature neurons before 18 months of age but, contrary to previous reports, this germinal activity subsides in older children and is nearly extinct by adulthood. Surprisingly, during this limited window of neurogenesis, not all new neurons in the human subventricular zone are destined for the olfactory bulb--we describe a major migratory pathway that targets the prefrontal cortex in humans. Together, these findings reveal robust streams of tangentially migrating immature neurons in human early postnatal subventricular zone and cortex. These pathways represent potential targets of neurological injuries affecting neonates.     

苍耳不同溶剂提取物对粘虫和蚜虫的杀虫活性研究

通过苍耳不同溶剂提取物对蚜虫和粘虫的杀虫活性测定,证明不同提取溶剂所得苍耳提取物杀虫活性差异显著.各作用方式的杀虫结果表明:苍耳各提取物对粘虫具有很强的拒食活性,对蚜虫的活性较低;同时表明,苍耳的氯仿提取物杀虫活性最好.     

对大连市高校学生早操情况的调查与分析

早操是课外体育锻炼的一项重要内容 .课外体育锻炼是学校体育不可分割的重要组成部分 ,是实现学校体育目的任务的基本途径之一 .因此 ,重视早操 ,组织好早操是非常必要的 .通过对大连市 6所高校早操情况的调查 ,掌握这些高校早操活动的内容、组织形式和方法及学生对开展早操意见和建议 .在此基础上进行综合分析和论证 ,找出适宜大学生早操的最佳内容、组织形式和方法的模式 .     

需求依赖价格时供应链的协调契约与最优决策

针对随机需求依赖价格的情况,由限制性退货契约和销售回扣契约构成的联合契约,能够确保供应链协调.然后,在加法和乘法需求模式下,当随机需求分布具有递增的失败率,供应链存在唯一最优的定价-订购联合决策,并给出最优决策的解析表达式.最后,通过数值算例验证了本文结论的有效性.     

一氧化氮合酶阳性神经元在鱼脑的分布

应用还原型尼克酰胺腺苷二核苷酸—黄递酶组化法，研究了一氧化氮合酶阳性神经元在鱼脑内的分布。结果显示，一氧化氮合酶阳性神经元存在于硬骨鱼纲的鳙鱼脑内不同部位，数量较少，集中分布；胞体呈圆形或三角形，着色较深，发出突起。由此可见，低等脊椎动物鱼类脑中也存在一氧化氮合酶阳性神经元，较哺乳动物而言分布集中且数量少，表明一氧化氮的存在与动物脑的进化有一定的关系。     

谈幼儿晨练活动中的师生互动

在幼儿进行晨练活动过程中，建立良好的师生互动关系，采用适宜途径和方法，不仅有利于幼儿全面发展，激发幼儿的思维能力，提高其对晨练活动的兴趣，还可以培养幼儿动手能力，锻炼幼儿体质，满足其在生理和心理两方面发展的需要。     

GABA regulates synaptic integration of newly generated neurons in the adult brain

Adult neurogenesis, the birth and integration of new neurons from adult neural stem cells, is a striking form of structural plasticity and highlights the regenerative capacity of the adult mammalian brain. Accumulating evidence suggests that neuronal activity regulates adult neurogenesis and that new neurons contribute to specific brain functions. The mechanism that regulates the integration of newly generated neurons into the pre-existing functional circuitry in the adult brain is unknown. Here we show that newborn granule cells in the dentate gyrus of the adult hippocampus are tonically activated by ambient GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) before being sequentially innervated by GABA- and glutamate-mediated synaptic inputs. GABA, the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the adult brain, initially exerts an excitatory action on newborn neurons owing to their high cytoplasmic chloride ion content. Conversion of GABA-induced depolarization (excitation) into hyperpolarization (inhibition) in newborn neurons leads to marked defects in their synapse formation and dendritic development in vivo. Our study identifies an essential role for GABA in the synaptic integration of newly generated neurons in the adult brain, and suggests an unexpected mechanism for activity-dependent regulation of adult neurogenesis, in which newborn neurons may sense neuronal network activity through tonic and phasic GABA activation.     

驻泰高校大学生晨练现状的调查研究

本文运用问卷调查、文献资料、访问座谈、数理统计等方法,对泰安市在校大学生参加晨练的态度、目的、练习时间、项目的特点和影响参加晨练的因素进行调查分析,以期对我市在校大学生晨练健身活动更好的发展和推进《国家学生体质健康标准》提供有益借鉴.     

Noise-resistant and synchronized oscillation of the segmentation clock

Periodic somite segmentation in vertebrate embryos is controlled by the 'segmentation clock', which consists of numerous cellular oscillators. Although the properties of a single oscillator, driven by a hairy negative-feedback loop, have been investigated, the system-level properties of the segmentation clock remain largely unknown. To explore these characteristics, we have examined the response of a normally oscillating clock in zebrafish to experimental stimuli using in vivo mosaic experiments and mathematical simulation. We demonstrate that the segmentation clock behaves as a coupled oscillator, by showing that Notch-dependent intercellular communication, the activity of which is regulated by the internal hairy oscillator, couples neighbouring cells to facilitate synchronized oscillation. Furthermore, the oscillation phase of individual oscillators fluctuates due to developmental noise such as stochastic gene expression and active cell proliferation. The intercellular coupling was found to have a crucial role in minimizing the effects of this noise to maintain coherent oscillation.     

《皖西日报》和《大别山晨刊》的祈使句标题比较研究

《皖西日报》和《大别山晨刊》,作为六安市的党报和都市报,在角色定位、功能类型、媒介立场等方面具有不同特征,这些不同反映在新闻语篇的话语表达中。选取《皖西日报》和《大别山晨刊》的祈使句标题作为研究对象,通过定量比较,考察两种报纸祈使句标题运用的共同和不同特点,分析两种报纸角色定位的不同,探讨其中所隐含的媒介宗旨和立场的差异。