Termination of asymmetric cell division and differentiation of stomata

Stomata consist of a pair of guard cells that mediate gas and water-vapour exchange between plants and the atmosphere. Stomatal precursor cells-meristemoids-possess a transient stem-cell-like property and undergo several rounds of asymmetric divisions before further differentiation. Here we report that the Arabidopsis thaliana basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) protein MUTE is a key switch for meristemoid fate transition. In the absence of MUTE, meristemoids abort after excessive asymmetric divisions and fail to differentiate stomata. Constitutive overexpression of MUTE directs the entire epidermis to adopt guard cell identity. MUTE has two paralogues: FAMA, a regulator of guard cell morphogenesis, and SPEECHLESS (SPCH). We show that SPCH directs the first asymmetric division that initiates stomatal lineage. Together, SPCH, MUTE and FAMA bHLH proteins control stomatal development at three consecutive steps: initiation, meristemoid differentiation and guard cell morphogenesis. Our findings highlight the roles of closely related bHLHs in cell type differentiation in plants and animals.     

Fundamental principles and applications of natural gas hydrates

Natural gas hydrates are solid, non-stoichiometric compounds of small gas molecules and water. They form when the constituents come into contact at low temperature and high pressure. The physical properties of these compounds, most notably that they are non-flowing crystalline solids that are denser than typical fluid hydrocarbons and that the gas molecules they contain are effectively compressed, give rise to numerous applications in the broad areas of energy and climate effects. In particular, they have an important bearing on flow assurance and safety issues in oil and gas pipelines, they offer a largely unexploited means of energy recovery and transportation, and they could play a significant role in past and future climate change.     

Mathematics Sent Across the Channel and the Atlantic: British Mathematical Contributions to European and American Scientific Journals, 1835–1900

This paper will consider the range of British participation in mathematics internationally during the nineteenth century through an analysis of British mathematical contributions to scientific journals outside of Britain. Viewing scientific papers contained in journals as significant indicators of research, we consider scientists who authored or read and responded in print to papers in a given area within a given group of journals to constitute a publication community. The extent of publication by British mathematicians in these journals can help characterize the role of foreign publication in nineteenth-century British mathematics. Moreover, the isolation of educational, societal, and personal circumstances which motivated British mathematicians to present their work to foreign journals highlights limited but concentrated groups of mathematicians committed to developing and strengthening international mathematical ties with Britain.     

Automating sequence-based detection and genotyping of SNPs from diploid samples

The detection of sequence variation, for which DNA sequencing has emerged as the most sensitive and automated approach, forms the basis of all genetic analysis. Here we describe and illustrate an algorithm that accurately detects and genotypes SNPs from fluorescence-based sequence data. Because the algorithm focuses particularly on detecting SNPs through the identification of heterozygous individuals, it is especially well suited to the detection of SNPs in diploid samples obtained after DNA amplification. It is substantially more accurate than existing approaches and, notably, provides a useful quantitative measure of its confidence in each potential SNP detected and in each genotype called. Calls assigned the highest confidence are sufficiently reliable to remove the need for manual review in several contexts. For example, for sequence data from 47-90 individuals sequenced on both the forward and reverse strands, the highest-confidence calls from our algorithm detected 93% of all SNPs and 100% of high-frequency SNPs, with no false positive SNPs identified and 99.9% genotyping accuracy. This algorithm is implemented in a software package, PolyPhred version 5.0, which is freely available for academic use.     

Starfish encounters: An experimental study of its advantages

Summary The predatory starfishCrossaster papposus exploits a chemically mediated escape response in another predatory starfishAsteria rubens when a common food resource is available to both species. Intraspecific avoidance amongC. papposus is strong and functions in dispersal. Responses to inter- and intraspecific encounters among starfish may be important to the predatory ecology of species in high positions in their food webs.I thank the MAFF. Fisheries Lab., Burnham-on-Crouch for hospitality and facilities, Prof. N.B. Marshall, F.R.S. and Dr A.C. Campbell for laboratory facilities at Q.M.C.     

Possible methane-induced polar warming in the early Eocene

Reconstructions of early Eocene climate depict a world in which the polar environments support mammals and reptiles, deciduous forests, warm oceans and rare frost conditions. At the same time, tropical sea surface temperatures are interpreted to have been the same as or slightly cooler than present values. The question of how to warm polar regions of Earth without noticeably warming the tropics remains unresolved; increased amounts of greenhouse gases would be expected to warm all latitudes equally. Oceanic heat transport has been postulated as a mechanism for heating high latitudes, but it is difficult to explain the dynamics that would achieve this. Here we consider estimates of Eocene wetland areas and suggest that the flux of methane, an important greenhouse gas, may have been substantially greater during the Eocene than at present. Elevated methane concentrations would have enhanced early Eocene global warming, and also might specifically have prevented severe winter cooling of polar regions because of the potential of atmospheric methane to promote the formation of optically thick, polar stratospheric ice clouds.     

Computer-Aided Detection System on Tangled Roller

Introduction Intheposttreatmentofchoppedfibreproduction,the thirddraftingrollerandtensionheat settingrolleroftenwere tangledbybrokentowforthereasonofhighspeed,hightemperatureofrollersurface,orotheradditionalforeign factors.While,thetworollerswerekeysegmentinthewhole technology.Itwouldleadtooneormoredrumcavedin,and eventobediscardediftheequipmenthadnotbeenstoppedintime.Usually,suchaccidentwouldbringgreatloss,what wouldnotbegotback.Sothetotalsetofequipmentrequiredthatdetectormusthavegoodperfo…     

计算机辅助鉴定技术在海洋浮游植物分类鉴定中的应用

本文对计算机辅助鉴定技术在海洋浮游植物分类鉴定中的应用进行了探讨,总结了不同技术的特点,并在总结计算机辅助鉴定技术在海洋浮游植物分类鉴定方面应用现状的基础上,对其发展前景做出了展望。