Persistence of soil organic matter as an ecosystem property

Globally, soil organic matter (SOM) contains more than three times as much carbon as either the atmosphere or terrestrial vegetation. Yet it remains largely unknown why some SOM persists for millennia whereas other SOM decomposes readily--and this limits our ability to predict how soils will respond to climate change. Recent analytical and experimental advances have demonstrated that molecular structure alone does not control SOM stability: in fact, environmental and biological controls predominate. Here we propose ways to include this understanding in a new generation of experiments and soil carbon models, thereby improving predictions of the SOM response to global warming.     

The principle of temperature-dependent gating in cold- and heat-sensitive TRP channels

The mammalian sensory system is capable of discriminating thermal stimuli ranging from noxious cold to noxious heat. Principal temperature sensors belong to the TRP cation channel family, but the mechanisms underlying the marked temperature sensitivity of opening and closing ('gating') of these channels are unknown. Here we show that temperature sensing is tightly linked to voltage-dependent gating in the cold-sensitive channel TRPM8 and the heat-sensitive channel TRPV1. Both channels are activated upon depolarization, and changes in temperature result in graded shifts of their voltage-dependent activation curves. The chemical agonists menthol (TRPM8) and capsaicin (TRPV1) function as gating modifiers, shifting activation curves towards physiological membrane potentials. Kinetic analysis of gating at different temperatures indicates that temperature sensitivity in TRPM8 and TRPV1 arises from a tenfold difference in the activation energies associated with voltage-dependent opening and closing. Our results suggest a simple unifying principle that explains both cold and heat sensitivity in TRP channels.     

Loss-of-function mutations in LEMD3 result in osteopoikilosis, Buschke-Ollendorff syndrome and melorheostosis

Osteopoikilosis, Buschke-Ollendorff syndrome (BOS) and melorheostosis are disorders characterized by increased bone density. The occurrence of one or more of these phenotypes in the same individual or family suggests that these entities might be allelic. We collected data from three families in which affected individuals had osteopoikilosis with or without manifestations of BOS or melorheostosis. A genome-wide linkage analysis in these families, followed by the identification of a microdeletion in an unrelated individual with these diseases, allowed us to map the gene that is mutated in osteopoikilosis. All the affected individuals that we investigated were heterozygous with respect to a loss-of-function mutation in LEMD3 (also called MAN1), which encodes an inner nuclear membrane protein. A somatic mutation in the second allele of LEMD3 could not be identified in fibroblasts from affected skin of an individual with BOS and an individual with melorheostosis. XMAN1, the Xenopus laevis ortholog, antagonizes BMP signaling during embryogenesis. In this study, LEMD3 interacted with BMP and activin-TGFbeta receptor-activated Smads and antagonized both signaling pathways in human cells.     

浅谈计算机网络会计在网络财务中所起的作用

通过与传统会计信息系统的比较，分析了计算机网络会计信息系统及网络财务所具有的特点，阐述了计算机网络会计信息系统在网络财务管理中所起的作用。     

圆柱蜗杆与蜗轮的加工测量

给出了圆柱蜗杆及蜗轮轮齿在任意半径处弦齿厚计算的精确公式，采用了圆球法测量蜗轮直径方向的两齿间距，为了计算上的需要，引进了蜗轮弦齿厚计算斜齿轮的概念和斜齿轮测量圆棒跨距法。     

Dynamic control of positional information in the early Drosophila embryo

Morphogen gradients contribute to pattern formation by determining positional information in morphogenetic fields. Interpretation of positional information is thought to rely on direct, concentration-threshold-dependent mechanisms for establishing multiple differential domains of target gene expression. In Drosophila, maternal gradients establish the initial position of boundaries for zygotic gap gene expression, which in turn convey positional information to pair-rule and segment-polarity genes, the latter forming a segmental pre-pattern by the onset of gastrulation. Here we report, on the basis of quantitative gene expression data, substantial anterior shifts in the position of gap domains after their initial establishment. Using a data-driven mathematical modelling approach, we show that these shifts are based on a regulatory mechanism that relies on asymmetric gap-gap cross-repression and does not require the diffusion of gap proteins. Our analysis implies that the threshold-dependent interpretation of maternal morphogen concentration is not sufficient to determine shifting gap domain boundary positions, and suggests that establishing and interpreting positional information are not independent processes in the Drosophila blastoderm.     

我国青贮玉米的研究现状及市场前景

青贮玉米作为饲料玉米既能大幅度地提高饲料产量，同时具有较高的营养价值，在国民经济和人民生活中占有越来越重要的地位。在借鉴欧美等发达国家对青贮玉米研究成果的基础上，分析了我国发展青贮玉米的优势和潜力，提出了青贮玉米的育种策略、育种目标和主要用于家畜饲养业的有效利用途径。     

Reach Envelope of Human Extremities

Significant attention in recent years has been given to obtain a better understanding of human joint ranges, measurement, and functionality, especially in conjunction with commands issued by the central nervous system. While researchers have studied motor commands needed to drive a limb to follow a path trajectory, various computer algorithms have been reported that provide adequate analysis of limb modeling and motion. This paper uses a rigorous mathematical formulation to model human limbs, understand their reach envelope, delineate barriers therein where a trajectory becomes difficult to control, and help visualize these barriers. Workspaces of a typical forearm with 9 degrees of freedom, a typical finger modeled as a 4-degree-of-freedom system, and a lower extremity with 4 degrees of freedom are discussed. The results show that using the proposed formulation, joint limits play an important role in distinguishing the barriers.