A potential ethnic difference in the association between 5-HTTLPR polymorphisms and the brain default mode network

The serotonin-transporter-linked polymorphic region （5-HTTLPR） is associated with mood disorders. This association is thought to be due to amygdala hyper- responsiveness to negative emotional stimuli as a result of reduced frontal cortical control. In Caucasians, the short form is associated with this effect, but in Han Chinese we recently found that the long form is involved. Serotonin receptors have rich expression in default mode network （DMN） regions and the recent studies have found an association between the short form of the 5-HTTLPR and DMN functional connectivity （FC） in Caucasians. The present study has investigated whether there may also be an ethnic difference in this influence of 5-HTTLPR on the DMN. We recruited 233 young Han Chinese subjects and calculated the resting-state default-network FC. Our study found that the L carriers had decreased FC in the bilateral medial prefrontal cortex, right parahippocampal gyrus, left middle temporal gyrus, and increased FC in left precuneus （Pcu） compared to SS. The PCC-Pcu FC in L carriers was significantly negatively correlated with the depression scores. Our findings, therefore, suggest that there is also a difference between Caucasian and Han Chinese subjects in the association between the different forms of the 5-HTTLPR and DMN functional connectivity.     

大脑前额叶皮层自发活动与连接的性别差异

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a non-invasive optical technique for brain functional imaging. The objective of this study is using fNIRS to investigate sex-related differences in the spatial distribution of spontaneous hemodynamic fluctuations and resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) in the prefrontal cortex. 20 heathy young adults participated in the experiment. 42 optical channels covered the anterior prefrontal cortex (aPFC), dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and the language area (inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and superior temporal gyrus (STG)). 8-min spontaneous hemodynamic fluctuations were recorded from each subject. The spatial distribution of the fluctuation power was calculated for each sex. To quantitatively characterize the degree of RSFC, the temporal correlation coefficients of the fluctuations were computed for all optical channel pairs. Two distinct networks were identified. One involved the aPFC and DLPFC, and the other included the bilateral language areas. Sex-related differences in the spatial distribution of the fluctuation power and RSFC were revealed. Compared with females, males experienced higher power of the fluctuations, especially in the aPFC+DLPFC. Males showed larger intra-network connectivity in the aPFC+DLPFC, whereas females showed larger inter-network connectivity between the language area and aPFC+DLPFC. Our observations might provide functional imaging-based evidence for understanding sex-related differences in behaviors and cognitions.     

Multifractal analysis of resting state fMRI series in default mode network: age and gender effects

Age-related changes of resting state in default mode network （DMN） may provide new clues to the developing mechanism of normal brain as well as early diagnosis and therapy of some neuropsychiatric disorders. The application of multifractal theory to functional magnetic resonance imaging （fMRI） signals has recently raised increasing attention. We aim to explore the multifractal characteristics underlying the resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging （rs-fMRI） series extracted from DMN, and two issues are mainly discussed： （1） whether there exist multifractals in rs-fMRI series; （2） whether it is possible to distinguish between the different ages or genders by means of multifractal characteristics. Results demon- strated the existence of multifractals in rs-fMRI series in DMN. In addition, slight differences between young subjects and middle-aged or elderly subjects can be successfully detected by △asα, a modified measure we proposed. Furthermore, it is revealed that the rs-fMRI series from young subjects possess smaller averaged scale index and weaker long range correlation, while those from middle-aged or elderly people present increasing averaged scale index andstronger long range correlation. Whereas no significant statistical differences has been found between male and female group. Our results, therefore, highlight the potential useful- ness of multifractal analysis in fMRI series of a certain brain region, and provide important insights into healthy aging in DMN.     

Modulation of human global／local perception by low spatial frequency filtering

We investigated the effect of low spatial frequency (SF) filtering on neural substrates underlying global and local processing in the peripheral vision by measuring hemodynamic responses with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Subjects identified global or local shapes of compound letters that were either broadband in spatialfrequency spectrum or contrast balanced (CB) to removed low SFs and displayed randomly in the left or right visual fields. Attention to both broadband and CB global shapes generated stronger activation over the medial occipital cortex relative to local attention. Lateralized activations in association with global processing were observed over the right temporal-parietal junction for broadband stimuli whereas over the right fusiform gyrns for CB stimuli. Attention to CB local shapes resulted in activations in the medial frontal cortex, bilateral inferior frontal and superior temporal cortices.The results were discussed in terms of the competition between global and local information in determining brain activations in association with global/local processing of compound stimuli.     

Application of EEG multipole model in the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease

In order to find the electroencephalogram (EEG) characteristic parameters typical of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and explore an effective diagnostic method, a new mobile current multipole model was proposed to simulate the AD patient’s cortical dipole source activities. The indicators of goodness of fit (GOF) and DtononD (DD) were calculated from EEG samples to evaluate the performance of this model. Relevant results showed that this multipole model with higher GOF values and larger DD change well fitted the pathological electrical activities of cortical neurons aroused by AD’s extended sulcus and gyrus in the cerebral cortex. Meanwhile, the products of DD mean & standard variance were found in a clear linear correlation with the diagnostic data of mini-mental state examination (MMSE) used in AD clinics. Furthermore, by tracing this multipole model’s indicators in typical patients and contrasting with the functional magnetic resonance image (fMRI) as AD progressed, we suggested that the DD index may be suitable for monitoring the AD developments as a new diagnostic parameter.     

Application of EEG multipole model in the diagnosis of Alzheimer''''s disease

In order to find the electroencephalogram （EEG） characteristic parameters typical of Alzheimer＇s disease （AD） and explore an effective diagnostic method, a new mobile current multipole model was proposed to simulate the AD patient＇s cortical dipole source activities. The indicators of goodness of fit （GOF） and DtononD （DD） were calculated from EEG samples to evaluate the performance of this model. Relevant results showed that this multipole model with higher GOFvalues and larger DD change well fitted the pathological electrical activities of cortical neurons aroused by AD＇s extended sulcus and gyrus in the cerebral cortex. Meanwhile, the products of DD mean ＆ standard variance were found in a clear linear correlation with the diagnostic data of mini-mental state examination （MMSE） used in AD clinics. Furthermore, by tracing this multipole model＇s indicators in typical patients and contrasting with the functional magnetic resonance image （fMRI） as AD progressed, we suggested that the DD index may be suitable for monitoring the AD developments as a new diagnostic parameter.     

Application of EEG multipole model in the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease

In order to find the electroencephalogram (EEG) characteristic parameters typical of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and explore an effective diagnostic method, a new mobile current multipole model was proposed to simulate the AD patient’s cortical dipole source activities. The indicators of goodness of fit (GOF) and DtononD (DD) were calculated from EEG samples to evaluate the performance of this model. Relevant results showed that this multipole model with higher GOF values and larger DD change well fitted the pathological electrical activities of cortical neurons aroused by AD’s extended sulcus and gyrus in the cerebral cortex. Meanwhile, the products of DD mean & standard variance were found in a clear linear correlation with the diagnostic data of mini-mental state examination (MMSE) used in AD clinics. Furthermore, by tracing this multipole model’s indicators in typical patients and contrasting with the functional magnetic resonance image (fMRI) as AD progressed, we suggested that the DD index may be suitable for monitoring the AD developments as a new diagnostic parameter.     

Functional brain laterality for sequential movements： Impact of transient practice

The impact of learning on brain functional laterality has not been systematically investigated. We employed an event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging combined with a delayed sequential movement task to investigate brain activation pattern and laterality during a transient practice in 12 subjects. Both hemispheres, involving motor areas and posterior parietal cortex, were engaged during motor preparation and execution, with larger activation volume in the left hemisphere than in the right. Activation volume in these regions significantly decreased after a transient practice, with more reduction in the right hemisphere resulting increase in left lateralization. The theoretical implications of these findings are discussed in relation to the physiological significance of brain functional laterality.     

fMRI-constrained source analysis of visual P300 in Landolt ring task

An fMRI-constrained source analysis was applied to investigate visual P300 in the Landolt ring task. To study the localization and relative activation timing of P300 generators, we implemented simultaneous EEG/fMRI to identify BOLD signal changes and record 64-channel EEG in 10 subjects during a Landolt ring task inside a 1.5-T fMRI scanner using an MR-compatible EEG recording system. MRI artifact subtraction software was applied to obtain continuous EEG data. Then, the simultaneous collecting of EEG and fMRI was validated in preserving relevant ERPs. The fMRI-constrained source analysis resulted in an 8-dipole solution. The bilateral middle frontal and the right inferior parietal dipole waveforms showed a short latency peak corresponding to the early P300 activity, while the four parietal and the anterior cingulate dipole waveforms showed a long latency peak corresponding to the late P300 activity. The longest latency peak of the anterior cingulate dipole agrees with its role in initiation of motor response after successful target recognition. Target detection in the Landolt ring task produces the strongest and most extensive parietal activation （especially superior parietal activation）, which might be due to its particular visual attention switching.     

Involvement of the crebellum in sequential finger movement learning： Evidence from functional magnetic resonance imaging

Whether the cerebellum is involved in voluntary motor learning or motor performance is the subject of a new debate. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging （fMRI）, we examined cerebellar activation in eight voluntecrs before and after an extended period of training. Activation volume on both sides of cerebellum after learning was significantly reduced compared to that before learning even under the same motor frequency. Remarkably, while motor frequency for the training sequence was significantly higher than the control sequence after 41 d of learning, activation in the cerebellum for both sequences, with respect to activation loci and volumes, was very similar. These results suggest that the cerebellum was involved in motor learning but not motor performance. Changes of cerebellar activation from training thus appear to be associated with learning but not with improvement on task performance.     

Distribution and origin of high magnetic anomalies at Luobusa Ophiolite in Southern Tibet

The Luobusa Ophiolite,Southern Tibet,lies in the eastern portion of Indus–Yarlung Zangbo suture zone that separates Eurasia from the Indian continent.An aeromagnetic reconnaissance survey has revealed an EWtrending Yarlung Zangbo River aeromagnetic anomaly zone,and it is considered to be caused mainly by the Indus–Yarlung Zangbo Ophiolite.The Luobusa Ophiolite reflects the eastern portion of the Yarlung Zangbo River aeromagnetic anomaly zone.Conventionally,the ultramafic rock in the Luobusa Ophiolite is considered as the origin of the high magnetic anomalies.However,results from the surface magnetic survey and the magnetic susceptibility measurements from drill cores indicate that the high magnetic anomalies are distributed inhomogeneously in the Luobusa Ophiolite.In some cases,the susceptibility exhibits more than 30 times difference between two sides of the same sample.A fact emerged that the susceptibility of dunite with serpentinization is higher than that of fresh dunite,harzburgite and chromite when we analyzed the measurement results.In order to understand the origin of the high magnetic anomalies,we measured the density and susceptibility of 17 samples,microscopic and electron probe analyses have been performed as well.The result indicates the presence of dunite with serpentinization containing an abundant of micro-fissures filled with magnetite.Olivine has a susceptibility of about 2.7–351(910-5SI),pyroxene about 16–320,and chromite about200–800.All these units feature relatively low susceptibility in ultramafic rock,and only the magnetite is characterized by a high susceptibility of about 200,000(910-5SI).Based on these observations,we conclude that the precipitation of magnetite in the process of serpentinization of the olivine caused by the geological process in the Luobusa Ophiolite is the origin of high magnetic anomalies.     

Spatiotemporal characteristics of freezing and thawing of the active layer in the source areas of the Yellow River （SAYR）

Based on the analysis of data on temperatures and moisture of soils in the active layer at four different permafrost sites in the source areas of the Yellow River(SAYR)in 2010–2012,the freeze–thaw processes of soils in the active layer were compared and contrasted for understanding the spatiotemporal variations.At the four studied sites,the thickness and mean annual temperature of permafrost are different.The temperatures at the top of permafrost(TTOP),i.e.,the maximum depth(s)of seasonal frost and/or thaw penetration,are-1.9°C at the Chalaping site(CLP),-0.9°C at the site on the southern bank of the Zhaling Lake(ZLH),-0.4°C at the Maduo Town site(MDX),and 1.1°C at the site on the northern bank of the Eling Lake(ELH).Differences in the mean annual ground temperature of permafrost and TTOPs may be responsible for the differentiations in the freeze–thaw processes of soils in the active layer.With rising TTOPs,the ground thawing started earlier:CLP in early June,ZLH in late May,MDX in early May,and ELH in mid-April,while the freezing began later:CLP in early October,ZLH in early to midOctober,MDX in mid-October,and ELH in the mid-to late October.With increasing TTOPs,the freeze-up periods for permafrost sites were shortened:202 days at CLP,130 days at ZLH,100 days at MDX,and the period of complete thaw was 89 days at ELH.At the CLP and ZLH sites,the two-directional ground freezing(downwards from ground surfaces and upwards from the permafrost table)and thawing finished in the same year,but the ground freezing at the MDX continued to the end of the nextJanuary,with very slow freezing rates in the end.At the ELH site,ground freezing kept on until early May when thawing began on the surface,and upward and downward thawing became increasingly stable in late June to early July.At each site,with rising TTOPs,the downward freezing accelerated in comparison with the upward freezing,and with an increasing proportion of downward frozen depth,and with the larger ratios of freezing to thawing duration.In summary,the patterns of thawing and freezing processes in the active layer in the SAYR differ from those in other parts of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau to a noticeable extent.     

Research on Mineral Processing of Low Quality Kalium-Natrium Feldspar

In light of characteristic of low quality feldspar ores in Wanzai County, Jiangxi Province, steel ball was taken as grinding medium, and selective grinding could make impurity separate from feldspar effectively. Through the flow of flotation-desliming-high gradient magnetic separation, the feldspar Concentration 1 was obtained with the yield of 70.19 % ,containing Fe2O3 0. 17 % and TiO2 0.07 %. The feldspar Concentrate 1 could meet the quality requirement of high-grade construction ceramic. And the slime that was deslimed in the flow was also separated and recovered; the feldspar Concentration 2 was obtained with the yield of 13.18 %, containing Fe2O3 0.31% and TiO2 0.17 %. The feldspar Concentrate 2 can be used for raw material of low-end ceramic. And gangue, with the yield of 16.63 %, was thrown away in this flow, the separating efficiency was high. Employing this flow could also bring high economy benefit and low influence of pollution to environment.     

Anomalous top-quark coupling effects in rare B and K decays

The Large Hadron Collider at CERN is performing direct searches for top-quark anomalous flavor-changing neutral current （FCNC） processes. However, these processes may be correlated closely with the low-energy rare B and K meson decays. In this paper, we review the anomalous top-quark coupling effects in these low-energy flavor transitions, summarize the flavor constraints and discuss their implications for direct detection of top-FCNC processes at the Large Hadron Collider.     

4 K high frequency pulse tube cryocooler used for terahertz space application

Terahertz(THz) frequency region, defined from0.1 to 10 THz, is an important frequency band for radio astronomy and atmospheric science. As NbN Superconductor-Insulator-Superconductor(SIS) mixers used for terahertz detection, which are studied by the Purple Mountain Observatory(PMO), Chinese Academy of Sciences(CAS), work at 8–10 K, and require condition of micro vibrations, its astronomical observation in aerospace is limited by suitable refrigeration method. 4 K high frequency pulse tube cryocooler developed by Key Laboratory of Space Energy Conversion Technologies(SECT), Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry(TIPC), CAS, offers an opportunity for the application of SIS mixers. This article introduces the progress of the two-stage high frequency pulse tube cryocooler researched by TIPC. The cryocooler has reached a no load temperature of 4.5 K which is the lowest temperature for this kind of cryocooler reported so far. The successful coupling between the THz component and the high frequency pulse tube cryocooler lays a solid foundation for space detection in the terahertz band.     

Role of Ferrel cell in daily variability of Northern Hemisphere Annular Mode

The Northern Hemisphere Annular Mode(NAM) represents the zonally symmetric planetary-scale atmospheric mass fluctuations between middle and high latitudes, whose variations have shown a large impact on other components of the climate system. Previous studies have indicated that the NAM is correlated with the Ferrel cell in their monthly or longer timescale variability.However, there have been few studies investigating their connections at daily timescale, though daily variability of NAM has been suggested to be an important component and has significant implication for weather forecast. The results from this study demonstrate that variability of the Ferrel cell leads that of the NAM by about 1–2 days. This statistically identified temporal phase difference between NAM and Ferrel cell variability can be elucidated by meridional mass redistribution. Intensified(weakened)Ferrel cell causes anomalously smaller(larger) poleward mass transport from the middle to the high latitudes,resulting in an increase(a decrease) in mass in the middle latitudes and a decrease(an increase) in the high latitudes.As a consequence, anomalously higher(lower) poleward pressure gradient forms and the NAM subsequently shifts to a positive(negative) phase at a time lag of 1–2 days. The findings here would augment the existing knowledge for better understanding the connection between the Ferrel Cell and the NAM, and may provide skillful information for improving NAM as well as daily scale weather prediction.     

Evaluation on Gambiered Guangdong Silk＇s Ecological Properties

To evaluate gambiered Guangdong silk＇s ecology properties, the raw materials ecology, production ecology and use ecology are analyzed; and the safety to human is tested according to GB/T18885 - 2002. Gambiered Guangdong silk is a kind of natural product. All its raw materials are reproducible and degradable natural resources, and it can decompose completely when being discarded. R is comfortable to wear, and easy to clean and dry. It is mainly manufactured by dip-dyeing in dye yam solution, and insolating under the burning sun. The production energy is solar, a kind of clean and reproducible energy. The production process is clean and environmental friendly. There is neither the utilization of synthetic dyestuff and chemical auxiliary, nor the discharge of environment pollutant, and even the dreg of dye yam is used as fuel. The safety test results show that pH value of water extract, heavy metal content （except for Pb content）, color fastness and odor meet the requirements of GB/T18885 - 2002 and Okeo-tex standard 100.     

Key technologies of precision demolition blasting of ultra-long urban viaduct in complicated surroundings

The key technologies of precision blasting were put forward based on the characteristics of urban via- duct blasting demolition in complicated surroundings. Initial bending instability mechanics model of reinforcing steel bar frame of blasting fragmented pier and sequenced collapsed dynamic model were established for quanti- tative blasting design. Technologies of water pressure blasting were applied in multi-cell box girder fragmenta- tion. The detonating network of non-electric duplication crossover was adopted for the safety and reliability of ultra-long delay. The rationality of blasting scheme and parameters were validated by physical model test. Harm- ful effects were forecasted and controlled by integrated protective technologies. Specialization, cooperation, pre- cision, execution （SCPE） project management method was put forward for precision management. The key tech- nologies of precision demolition blasting can provide reference for similar proiects.     

Effect of strain rate on the compressive deformation behaviors of lotus-type porous copper

Lotus-type porous copper was fabricated by unidirectional solidification, and compressive experiments were subsequently conducted in the strain rate range of 10-3–2400 s-1 with the compressive direction parallel to the pores. A GLEEBLE-1500 thermal-mechanical simulation system and a split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) were used to investigate the effect of strain rate on the compressive deformation behaviors of lotus-type porous copper. The influence mechanism of strain rate was also analyzed by the strain-controlling method and by high-speed photography. The results indicated that the stress-strain curves of lotus-typed porous copper consist of a linear elastic stage, a plateau stage, and a densification stage at various strain rates. At low strain rate (< 1.0 s-1), the strain rate had little influence on the stress-strain curves; but when the strain rate exceeded 1.0 s-1, it was observed to strongly affect the plateau stage, showing obvious strain-rate-hardening characteristics. Strain rate also influenced the densification initial strain. The densification initial strain at high strain rate was less than that at low strain rate. No visible inhomogeneous deformation caused by shockwaves was observed in lotus-type porous copper during high-strain-rate deformation. However, at high strain rate, the bending deformation characteristics of the pore walls obviously differed from those at low strain rate, which was the main mechanism by which the plateau stress exhibited strain-rate sensitivity when the strain rate exceeded a certain value and exhibited less densification initial strain at high strain rate.