Mating patterns of virgin and inseminated Drosophila melanogaster of different alcohol dehydrogenase (Adh) genotypes

Female choice mating experiments showed virgin female D.melanogaster of the 3 Adh genotypes chose heterozygous (AdhF/AdhS) males most commonly. Inseminated females chose mates randomly, but the likelihood of a female remating was genotypically dependent.     

Activity tests of alcohol dehydrogenases in wheat,rye and triticale

Summary The relative band staining intensities of ADH isoenzymes in wheat and triticale suggest alloploid genome interactions. Rye ADH is scarcely affected by anti-wheat-ADH. Despite the evolutionary divergence of their Adh genes, ADH monomers of wheat and rye form enzymatically active heterodimers in triticale.Dedicated to Prof. Dr V. Schwartz, Tübingen, on the occasion of his 70th birthday.I thank Miss Hiltrud Wambach and Miss Rita Lippert for technical assistance.     

Selection at the Adh locus inDrosophila melanogaster: Adult survivorship-mortality in response to ethanol

Summary Functionally significant biochemical properties of the naturally occurring electrophoretic variants at the Adh locus (ADH^fast and ADH^Slow) are correlated with the adult flies' ability to utilize and survive in an ethanol environment. The results are consistent with the idea that an environmentally dependent form of balancing selection is responsible, at least in part, for the maintenance of the polymorphism at this locus.Acknowledgment. This work was supported by NSF grant DEB 7815466 to J.M.     

美国中小企业生存环境的八大要素

中外经济发展的实践表明，中小企业的大量存在是经济发展的内在要求和必然结果，是经济体系中形成合理的价格体系、维护市场竞争活力、确保经济运行稳定、保障充分就业的前提和条件。自20世纪70年代英国博尔顿报告以来，为中小企业尽可能地营造一个良好的生存环境，已经成为世界各国重要的政策取向，美国走在世界前列。我国中小企业的发展走过了很长一段弯路，究其原因在于没有建设好促进其生存的环境。本文分析了美国中小企业生存环境的要点，对于我国制定和调整中小企业政策、促进其健康发展具有借鉴意义。     

Cholinergic and adrenergic innervation of the penis artery of the bull: transmitter concentrations and synaptic vesicles.

The penile artery of the bull contained significant amounts of acetylcholine, noradrenaline and dopamine, and its axon profiles contained either numerous small granular or agranular vesicles, as well as some large granular vesicles. In the dorsal metatarsal artery, only noradrenaline and dopamine were detectable, and the axon profiles observed contained numerous small granular vesicles. In the penile artery, the axons with small agranular vesicles, probably cholinergic axons, were in close contact with axons containing small granular vesicles. It is suggested that, in the penile artery of the bull, one of the functions of the cholinergic nerves is suppression of excitatory adrenergic neurotransmission.     

中小科技企业在香港创业板上市需特别重视的几个问题

中小科技企业由于自身的一些特点，如创建初期的风险较高、自身的资产规模较小、经营体制不健全、盈利能力差等，加上现阶段我国又缺乏必要的信用担保体系等的限制，使得其获得国有商业银行贷款的可能性不大。在这种情况下，众多中小科技企业寄希望于直接融资这一渠道上。本文试对中小科技企业在香港创业板市场上市筹备中的难点问题进行深入分析，希望有助于更多的科技企业成功上市。     

小流域水土保持信息管理系统设计与实现

以官厅、密云水库上游为研究区域，构建了以微观地理单元一小流域为对象的水土保持信息管理系统，本文就其主要功能与结构进行了详细描述。该系统以小流域为对象，采用数据库和空间数据引擎技术，实现了小流域水土保持监测信息全要素、多专题、分层集成存储。在此基础上，面向小流域实现了水土保持环境背景数据及专题信息综合分析、小流域治理措施评价，应用相关治理效益计算方法及指标对治理成效进行治理效益分析等。从而集数据库存储、数据综合分析、信息挖掘、治理成效评价等功能于一体，实现了小流域信息的全息化描述和一体化管理。系统采用C／S（客户机／月艮务器）结构模式，基于Oracle和ArcSDE实现空间数据和非空间数据存储管理。在数据库服务基础上，客户端系统以ArcGIS Desktop产品ArcMap为开发平台，采用COM组件技术ArcObject，以MS Visual Basic for Applications（VBA）来实现。     

The small heat shock proteins and their clients

Small heat shock proteins are ubiquitous proteins found throughout all kingdoms. One of the most notable features is their large oligomeric structures with conserved structural organization. It is well documented that small heat shock proteins can capture unfolding proteins to form stable complexes and prevent their irreversible aggregation. In addition, small heat shock proteins coaggregate with aggregation-prone proteins for subsequent, efficient disaggregation of the protein aggregates. The release of substrate proteins from the transient reservoirs, i.e. complexes and aggregates with small heat shock proteins, and their refolding require cooperation with ATP-dependent chaperone systems. The amphitropic small heat shock proteins were shown to associate with membranes, although they do not contain transmembrane domains or signal sequences. Recent studies indicate that small heat shock proteins play an important role in membrane quality control and thereby potentially contribute to the maintenance of membrane integrity especially under stress conditions. Received 11 July 2006; received after revision 4 October 2006; accepted 10 November 2006     

Chromatin affinity-precipitation using a small metabolic molecule: its application to analysis of <Emphasis Type="Italic">O</Emphasis>-acetyl-ADP-ribose

In the cell, many small endogenous metabolic molecules are involved in distinct cellular functions such as modulation of chromatin structure and regulation of gene expression. O-acetyl-ADP-ribose (AAR) is a small metabolic molecule that is generated during NAD-dependent deacetylation by Sir2. Sir2 regulates gene expression, DNA repair, and genome stability. Here, we developed a novel chromatin affinity-precipitation (ChAP) method to detect the chromatin fragments at which small molecules interact with binding partners. We used this method to demonstrate that AAR associated with heterochromatin. Moreover, we applied the ChAP method to whole genome tiling array chips to compare the association of AAR and Sir2. We found that AAR and Sir2 displayed similar genomic binding patterns. Furthermore, we identified 312 potential association cluster regions of AAR. The ChAP assay may therefore be a generally useful strategy to study the small molecule association with chromosomal regions. Our results further suggest that the small metabolic molecule AAR associates with silent chromatin regions in a Sir2-dependent manner and provide additional support for the role of AAR in assembly of silent chromatin.     

Appareil pour la mesure de la consommation d'oxygène des petits animaux de laboratoire

Summary An apparatus has been described for measuring oxygen consumption in small animals. In this apparatus, the temperature changes are very small, the determinations of oxygen consumption are rapid and frequent, the oxygen tension is normal and the animals are in a good state of quietness.     

基于模型突变检测的管道泄漏检测定位方法

为了改进负压波法在管道微弱泄漏的检测和定位中的效果,提出了基于模型突变检测的特征提取和泄漏定位算法。首先运用广义似然比检测理论,建立压力信号变化的统计检验模型,计算广义似然比比率r和下降幅度d作为压力信号突变发生的敏感特征,并通过求得的压力变化时间点进行泄漏定位。针对缓慢泄漏时压力信号变化的特点,提出了相应的改进模型,更精确的求出缓慢泄漏压力信号的下降拐点。实验证明,参数r和d对不同变化类型的压力信号有较好的区分度,利用管道内压力和流量信号的特征值作为神经网络的特征向量可以实现管道的微弱泄漏识别,且基于改进模型的定位算法在缓慢泄漏定位中有较好的定位结果和稳定度。     

Cholinergic and adrenergic innervation of the penis artery of the bull: Transmitter concentrations and synaptic vesicles

Summary The penile artery of the bull contained significant amounts of acetylcholine, noradrenaline and dopamine, and its axon profiles contained either numerous small granular or agranular vesicles, as well as some large granular vesicles. In the dorsal metatarsal artery, only noradrenaline and dopamine were detectable, and the axon profiles observed contained numerous small granular vesicles. In the penile artery, the axons with small agranular vesicles, probably cholinergic axons, were in close contact with axons containing small granular vesicles. It is suggested that, in the penile artery of the bull, one of the functions of the cholinergic nerves is suppression of excitatory adrenergic neurotransmission.This study has been supported by grants from the Sigrid Jusélius Foundation (to O.E.), from the Medical Research Council of the Academy of Finland (to E.K.) and from the Magnus Bergvall Memorial Fund (to N.O.S.). Excellent technical assistance by Mrs Paula Hasenson and Miss Seija Ovaskainen is gratefully acknowledged.     

Peptide antigens for gamma/delta T cells

γδ T cells express adaptive antigen receptors encoded by rearranging genes. Their diversity is highest in the small region of TCR V–J junctions, especially in the δ chain, which should enable the γδ TCRs to distinguish differences in small epitopes. Indeed, recognition of small molecules, and of an epitope on a larger protein has been reported. Responses to small non-peptides known as phospho-antigens are multi-clonal yet limited to a single γδ T cell subset in humans and non-human primates. Responses to small peptides are multi-clonal or oligo-clonal, include more than one subset of γδ T cells, and occur in rodents and primates. However, less effort has been devoted to investigate the peptide responses. To settle the questions of whether peptides can be ligands for the γδ TCRs, and whether responses to small peptides might occur normally, peptide binding will have to be demonstrated, and natural peptide ligands identified.     

Alzheimer’s disease and CADASIL are heritable,adult-onset dementias that both involve damaged small blood vessels

This essay explores an alternative pathway to Alzheimer’s dementia that focuses on damage to small blood vessels rather than late-stage toxic amyloid deposits as the primary pathogenic mechanism that leads to irreversible dementia. While the end-stage pathology of AD is well known, the pathogenic processes that lead to disease are often assumed to be due to toxic amyloid peptides that act on neurons, leading to neuronal dysfunction and eventually neuronal cell death. Speculations as to what initiates the pathogenic cascade have included toxic abeta peptide aggregates, oxidative damage, and inflammation, but none explain why neurons die. Recent high-resolution NMR studies of living patients show that lesions in white matter regions of the brain precede the appearance of amyloid deposits and are correlated with damaged small blood vessels. To appreciate the pathogenic potential of damaged small blood vessels in the brain, it is useful to consider the clinical course and the pathogenesis of CADASIL, a heritable arteriopathy that leads to damaged small blood vessels and irreversible dementia. CADASIL is strikingly similar to early onset AD in that it is caused by germ line mutations in NOTCH 3 that generate toxic protein aggregates similar to those attributed to mutant forms of the amyloid precursor protein and presenilin genes. Since NOTCH 3 mutants clearly damage small blood vessels of white matter regions of the brain that lead to dementia, we speculate that both forms of dementia may have a similar pathogenesis, which is to cause ischemic damage by blocking blood flow or by impeding the removal of toxic protein aggregates by retrograde vascular clearance mechanisms.     

Predicting small region sectoral responses to changes in aggregate economic activity: A time series approach

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the applicability of a contemporary time series forecasting technique, transfer function modeling, to the problem of forecasting sectoral employment levels in small regional economies. The specific sectoral employment levels to be forecast are manufacturing, durable manufacturing, non-durable manufacturing and non-manufacturing employment. Due to data constraints at the small region level, construction of traditional causal econometric models is often very difficult; thus time series approaches become particularly attractive. The results suggest that transfer function models using readily available national indicator series as drivers can provide more accurate forecasts of small region sectoral employment levels than univariate time series models.     

Different types of synaptic vesicles in axons of the retractor penis muscle of the bull.

Three types of axon profiles were observed in the smooth muscle of the retractor penis and the penile artery of the bull: 1. profiles containing small granular vesicles, presumably representing adrenergic axons; 2. profiles containing small agranular vesicles, presumably representing cholinergic axons; 3. profiles containing numerous large and small granular vesicles. The third type of profile was not found in the vas deferens or the metatarsal artery. It is therefore possible that this type of profile represents the non-adrenergic, non-cholinergic inhibitory nerves, the presence of which has previously been pharmacologically indicated in these tissues.     

Fluctuating rates of evolution

Summary Constant evolutionary rates are possible only in verylarge populations, where natural selection does not exhaust varition because mutation supplies fresh variability. In a small population where a small number of genes influence an integrated system like brain and body size which have an allometric relationship, variation is removed rapidly under natural selection, This occurs even when the final fitness of the population is not optimal.     

Effect of alcohol ingestion on the epithelial cell population in rat small intestine

Summary Chronic administration of alcohol to well-nourished rats led to striking changes in the small intestinal cell population. The present experiments corroborate the view that alcohol is directly toxic to the small intestine.The authors wish to thank Mr.P. R. Gaspar for the technical assistance.