Function of the mandibular tooth comb in living and extinct mammals

Among the most interesting mammalian dental specialization is the mandibular 'tooth comb' or 'tooth scraper' that evolved independently in certain primates and other mammals. Its occurrence is most widely known in lemurs and lorises, where it is comprised of the long, slender, procumbent incisors (one or two pairs) and incisiform canines (Fig. 1). In non-primates to canines are not incorporated into the comb. Some tree shrews (Tupaiidae) possess a tooth comb consisting of the four central incisors, and some early Tertiary arctocyonid condylarths had a similar structure composed of all six lower incisors. The extant flying lemurs (Dermoptera: Cynocephalus) also have a dental 'comb' but it is very different from the ones already mentioned, consisting of two pairs of pectinate incisors, each tooth modified into a comb with as many as 15 tines. This condition, although sometimes said to be similar to that in lemurs, is unique to Cynocephalus. One of the principal functions of the tooth comb in primates is to comb the fur, and we present here indirect evidence that condylarths used this structure in the same way, millions of years before tooth combs evolved in prosimians. We also show that the comb-like incisors of Cynocephalus, contrary to popular belief, probably do not function to comb the fur.     

映孔导致吸引子共存消亡的映孔消失方式

在一类描述张弛振子的不连续映象中，可能发生映孔导致吸引共存．本文讨论这种共存消亡的一种方式——映孔消失     

Constant darkness is a circadian metabolic signal in mammals

Environmental light is the 'zeitgeber' (time-giver) of circadian behaviour. Constant darkness is considered a 'free-running' circadian state. Mammals encounter constant darkness during hibernation. Ablation of the master clock synchronizer, the suprachiasmatic nucleus, abolishes torpor, a hibernation-like state, implicating the circadian clock in this phenomenon. Here we report a mechanism by which constant darkness regulates the gene expression of fat catabolic enzymes in mice. Genes for murine procolipase (mClps) and pancreatic lipase-related protein 2 (mPlrp2) are activated in a circadian manner in peripheral organs during 12 h dark:12 h dark (DD) but not light-dark (LD) cycles. This mechanism is deregulated in circadian-deficient mPer1-/-/mPer2m/m mice. We identified circadian-regulated 5'-AMP, which is elevated in the blood of DD mice, as a key mediator of this response. Synthetic 5'-AMP induced torpor and mClps expression in LD animals. Torpor induced by metabolic stress was associated with elevated 5'-AMP levels in DD mice. Levels of glucose and non-esterified fatty acid in the blood are reversed in DD and LD mice. Induction of mClps expression by 5'-AMP in LD mice was reciprocally linked to blood glucose levels. Our findings uncover a circadian metabolic rhythm in mammals.     

Evolution of homeothermy in mammals

We propose that mammalian homeothermy was was acquired in two steps. The first step enabled mammals to invade a nocturnal niche without an increase in resting metabolic rate. The second step enabled them to invade a diurnal niche and involved the acquisition of higher body temperatures and metabolic rates.     

Progress in interspecies cloning of mammals

Interspecies mammalian cloning can be achieved by application of two key techniques, i.e.the technique of interspecies nuclear transfer and the technique of interspecies pregnancy.The general principles, problems and possible solutions, as well as the recent advances of interspecies mammalian cloning have been summarized in this review.     

Coordination of circadian timing in mammals

Time in the biological sense is measured by cycles that range from milliseconds to years. Circadian rhythms, which measure time on a scale of 24 h, are generated by one of the most ubiquitous and well-studied timing systems. At the core of this timing mechanism is an intricate molecular mechanism that ticks away in many different tissues throughout the body. However, these independent rhythms are tamed by a master clock in the brain, which coordinates tissue-specific rhythms according to light input it receives from the outside world.     

Mosaic evolution of brain structure in mammals

The mammalian brain comprises a number of functionally distinct systems. It might therefore be expected that natural selection on particular behavioural capacities would have caused size changes selectively, in the systems mediating those capacities. It has been claimed, however, that developmental constraints limited such mosaic evolution, causing co-ordinated size change among individual brain components. Here we analyse comparative data to demonstrate that mosaic change has been an important factor in brain structure evolution. First, the neocortex shows about a fivefold difference in volume between primates and insectivores even after accounting for its scaling relationship with the rest of the brain. Second, brain structures with major anatomical and functional links evolved together independently of evolutionary change in other structures. This is true at the level of both basic brain subdivisions and more fine-grained functional systems. Hence, brain evolution in these groups involved complex relationships among individual brain components.     

极谱型溶氧仪的振动式改进研究

根据极谱法测定溶解氧的原理,设计了一种具有准确、快速、稳定、高度自动化等特点的振动式极谱型溶氧仪。以0~12 V双振动微型小马达作振动系统,带动溶氧仪传感器在水样中振动,可及时弥补传感器电极中阴极消耗的氧气。系统考察了振动强度、水样盐度等影响因子对振动式极谱型溶氧仪检测的影响,全面探究其工作性能,并与美国YSI Pro Plus手持式检测仪进行了应用比较。实验结果表明该振动式极谱型溶氧仪各项工作性能达到国家溶氧仪的标准,与YSI应用比较的相对误差为0.147 mg/L。目前该溶氧仪已成功应用于实际水样的溶解氧检测。     

新型矿用本质安全型直流电法仪的研制

矿用直流电法仪在预防煤矿水害中发挥着重要作用,但传统矿用直流电法仪的核心芯片多采用51系列单片机,数据精度低、存储容量小、数据不稳定、操作不方便,人机界面交互差,在一定程度上制约了矿用直流电法仪的应用。文中采用模块化思想设计新型矿用直流电法仪,系统包含系统核心、发射、接收、储存、通讯等模块;同时给出了系统电气性能指标;通过多次与传统矿用直流电法仪的对比试验,证明了该新型直流电法仪具有测量精度高、数据稳定性好、输入阻抗高、施工方便、成本低、功耗低、存储容量大、通讯方便和人机界面友好等优点,其各项性能指标达到了设计要求。     

Long-term potentiation of synaptic transmission in the hippocampus induced by a bee venom peptide

Several neurotoxins have been isolated from bee venom. One of these, the mast cell degranulating peptide (MCD), releases histamine from mast cells and on central administration produces arousal at low concentrations and convulsions at higher doses. These effects are mediated through specific high-affinity binding sites which are concentrated in cortical structures, notably the hippocampus. This structure appears to be the source of changes in the electrocorticogram that follow injections of MCD into the cerebral ventricle, and which induce a quasi-permanent hippocampal theta rhythm in the motionless rat alternating with epileptiform spike waves. We report here that brief application of MCD to the CA1 region of hippocampal slices induces long-term potentiation, that is, a long-lasting increase in the efficacy of synaptic transmission. This potentiation seems to be indistinguishable from the classical LTP produced by trains of high-frequency electrical stimulation and considered to be related in some way to memory. Using binding to synaptosomal membranes and radioimmunoassay techniques, we have also found an endogenous peptide equivalent of MCD in brain extracts. This raises the possibility that a MCD-like peptide may be important in long-term potentiation.     

陕西秦岭地区兽类多样性分析

陕西秦岭山地是东洋界和古北界的交汇地带,物种多样性较为丰富.有兽类7目28科82属125种,占陕西省兽类总种数的85.0%.兽类区系组成十分复杂:北方分布型有57种,南方分布型有68种,特有种23种.列入国家重点保护名录、中国物种红色名录和CITES附录的物种有54种,占该区总种数的43.2%.这些珍稀、特有动物主要分布在秦岭地区15个自然保护区内.导致众多物种濒危的原因,主要是栖息地变化和人猎杀等.