A positive-feedback-based bistable 'memory module' that governs a cell fate decision

The maturation of Xenopus oocytes can be thought of as a process of cell fate induction, with the immature oocyte representing the default fate and the mature oocyte representing the induced fate. Crucial mediators of Xenopus oocyte maturation, including the p42 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and the cell-division cycle protein kinase Cdc2, are known to be organized into positive feedback loops. In principle, such positive feedback loops could produce an actively maintained 'memory' of a transient inductive stimulus and could explain the irreversibility of maturation. Here we show that the p42 MAPK and Cdc2 system normally generates an irreversible biochemical response from a transient stimulus, but the response becomes transient when positive feedback is blocked. Our results explain how a group of intrinsically reversible signal transducers can generate an irreversible response at a systems level, and show how a cell fate can be maintained by a self-sustaining pattern of protein kinase activation.     

化学反应设计成可逆电池方法探讨

提出了各类可逆电极反应通式和电极图式，并针对不同化学反应，研讨了如何准确快捷地将指定化学反应设计成可逆电池．     

Systematic design of chemical oscillators using complexation and precipitation equilibria

Concentration oscillations are ubiquitous in living systems, where they involve a wide range of chemical species. In contrast, early in vitro chemical oscillators were all derived from two accidentally discovered reactions based on oxyhalogen chemistry. Over the past 25 years, the use of a systematic design algorithm, in which a slow feedback reaction periodically drives a bistable system in a flow reactor between its two steady states, has increased the list of oscillating chemical reactions to dozens of systems. But these oscillating reactions are still confined to a handful of elements that possess multiple stable oxidation states: halogens, sulphur and some transition metals. Here we show that linking a 'core' oscillator to a complexation or precipitation equilibrium can induce concentration oscillations in a species participating in the equilibrium. We use this method to design systems that produce periodic pulses of calcium, aluminium or fluoride ions. The ability to generate oscillations in elements possessing only a single stable oxidation state (for example, Na+, F-, Ca2+) may lead to reactions that are useful for coupling to or probing living systems, or that help us to understand new mechanisms by which periodic behaviour may arise.     

Diurnal modulation of pacemaker potentials and calcium current in the mammalian circadian clock

The central biological clock of the mammalian brain is located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus. This hypothalamic region contains neurons that generate a circadian rhythm on a single-cell basis. Clock cells transmit their circadian timing signals to other brain areas by diurnal modulation of their spontaneous firing rate. The intracellular mechanism underlying rhythm generation is thought to consist of one or more self-regulating molecular loops, but it is unknown how these loops interact with the plasma membrane to modulate the ionic conductances that regulate firing behaviour. Here we demonstrate a diurnal modulation of Ca2+ current in suprachiasmatic neurons. This current strongly contributes to the generation of spontaneous oscillations in membrane potential, which occur selectively during daytime and are tightly coupled to spike generation. Thus, day-night modulation of Ca2+ current is a central step in transducing the intracellular cycling of molecular clocks to the rhythm in spontaneous firing rate.     

Inhibitory feedback required for network oscillatory responses to communication but not prey stimuli

Stimulus-induced oscillations occur in visual, olfactory and somatosensory systems. Several experimental and theoretical studies have shown how such oscillations can be generated by inhibitory connections between neurons. But the effects of realistic spatiotemporal sensory input on oscillatory network dynamics and the overall functional roles of such oscillations in sensory processing are poorly understood. Weakly electric fish must detect electric field modulations produced by both prey (spatially localized) and communication (spatially diffuse) signals. Here we show, through in vivo recordings, that sensory pyramidal neurons in these animals produce an oscillatory response to communication-like stimuli, but not to prey-like stimuli. On the basis of well-characterized circuitry, we construct a network model of pyramidal neurons that predicts that diffuse delayed inhibitory feedback is required to achieve oscillatory behaviour only in response to communication-like stimuli. This prediction is experimentally verified by reversible blockade of feedback inhibition that removes oscillatory behaviour in the presence of communication-like stimuli. Our results show that a sensory system can use inhibitory feedback as a mechanism to 'toggle' between oscillatory and non-oscillatory firing states, each associated with a naturalistic stimulus.     

从自然到仿生的超疏水纳米界面材料

浸润性是固体表面的重要特征之一,它是由表面的化学组成和微观几何结构决定的。日前我们关于荷叶和水稻叶的研究显示,一种具有较大接触角和较小滚动角的超疏水表面,需要微米和纳米级的结构有机结合形成复合结构,而且表面微观结构的排列方式会影响水滴的运动趋势。通过对水黾腿表面结构的详细研究,得到了超疏水性质与微、纳米结构取向之间的关系。据此,我们已成功制备出了超疏水和超双疏的纳米界面材料,并实现了热响应性和光响应的超疏水与超亲水可逆“开关”材料。     

交联PE废旧料的回收方法及可逆交联高分子的研究进展

随着我国国民经济的快速发展，不可逆交联聚乙烯(XLPE)在日常生活中的应用越来越广泛，但同时也产生了大量的废旧料。通过不可逆化学键形成的XLPE交联结构很难被破坏，导致其加热难熔融、难以循环加工，因此XLPE废旧料回收困难，再生利用率低，并且造成了严重的环境污染。近年来发展起来的可逆交联技术通过在高分子中引入动态化学键形成分子链交联结构，使其在特定物理场下可以解除交联结构，从而具备可回收性和再加工性。本文综述了XLPE的传统回收方法和可逆交联高分子的研究进展，总结了XLPE回收方法的优点和局限性，重点介绍了解离型反应和缔合交换型反应在制备动态交联高分子材料中的应用。     

An autoregulatory circuit for long-range self-organization in Dictyostelium cell populations

Nutrient-deprived Dictyostelium amoebae aggregate to form a multicellular structure by chemotaxis, moving towards propagating waves of cyclic AMP that are relayed from cell to cell. Organizing centres are not formed by founder cells, but are dynamic entities consisting of cores of outwardly rotating spiral waves that self-organize in a homogeneous cell population. Spiral waves are ubiquitously observed in chemical reactions as well as in biological systems. Although feedback control of spiral waves in spatially extended chemical reactions has been demonstrated in recent years, the mechanism by which control is achieved in living systems is unknown. Here we show that mutants of the cyclic AMP/protein kinase A pathway show periodic signalling, but fail to organize coherent long-range wave territories, owing to the appearance of numerous spiral cores. A theoretical model suggests that autoregulation of cell excitability mediated by protein kinase A acts to optimize the number of signalling centres.     

Adaptive regulation of neuronal excitability by a voltage-independent potassium conductance

Many neurons receive a continuous, or 'tonic', synaptic input, which increases their membrane conductance, and so modifies the spatial and temporal integration of excitatory signals. In cerebellar granule cells, although the frequency of inhibitory synaptic currents is relatively low, the spillover of synaptically released GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) gives rise to a persistent conductance mediated by the GABA A receptor that also modifies the excitability of granule cells. Here we show that this tonic conductance is absent in granule cells that lack the alpha6 and delta-subunits of the GABAA receptor. The response of these granule cells to excitatory synaptic input remains unaltered, owing to an increase in a 'leak' conductance, which is present at rest, with properties characteristic of the two-pore-domain K+ channel TASK-1 (refs 9,10,11,12). Our results highlight the importance of tonic inhibition mediated by GABAA receptors, loss of which triggers a form of homeostatic plasticity leading to a change in the magnitude of a voltage-independent K + conductance that maintains normal neuronal behaviour.     

PYY modulation of cortical and hypothalamic brain areas predicts feeding behaviour in humans

The ability to maintain adequate nutrient intake is critical for survival. Complex interrelated neuronal circuits have developed in the mammalian brain to regulate many aspects of feeding behaviour, from food-seeking to meal termination. The hypothalamus and brainstem are thought to be the principal homeostatic brain areas responsible for regulating body weight. However, in the current 'obesogenic' human environment food intake is largely determined by non-homeostatic factors including cognition, emotion and reward, which are primarily processed in corticolimbic and higher cortical brain regions. Although the pleasure of eating is modulated by satiety and food deprivation increases the reward value of food, there is currently no adequate neurobiological account of this interaction between homeostatic and higher centres in the regulation of food intake in humans. Here we show, using functional magnetic resonance imaging, that peptide YY3-36 (PYY), a physiological gut-derived satiety signal, modulates neural activity within both corticolimbic and higher-cortical areas as well as homeostatic brain regions. Under conditions of high plasma PYY concentrations, mimicking the fed state, changes in neural activity within the caudolateral orbital frontal cortex predict feeding behaviour independently of meal-related sensory experiences. In contrast, in conditions of low levels of PYY, hypothalamic activation predicts food intake. Thus, the presence of a postprandial satiety factor switches food intake regulation from a homeostatic to a hedonic, corticolimbic area. Our studies give insights into the neural networks in humans that respond to a specific satiety signal to regulate food intake. An increased understanding of how such homeostatic and higher brain functions are integrated may pave the way for the development of new treatment strategies for obesity.     

Coexistence of ferromagnetism and metallic conductivity in a molecule-based layered compound

Crystal engineering--the planning and construction of crystalline supramolecular architectures from modular building blocks--permits the rational design of functional molecular materials that exhibit technologically useful behaviour such as conductivity and superconductivity, ferromagnetism and nonlinear optical properties. Because the presence of two cooperative properties in the same crystal lattice might result in new physical phenomena and novel applications, a particularly attractive goal is the design of molecular materials with two properties that are difficult or impossible to combine in a conventional inorganic solid with a continuous lattice. A promising strategy for creating this type of 'bi-functionality' targets hybrid organic/inorganic crystals comprising two functional sub-lattices exhibiting distinct properties. In this way, the organic pi-electron donor bis(ethylenedithio)tetrathiafulvalene (BEDT-TTF) and its derivatives, which form the basis of most known molecular conductors and superconductors, have been combined with molecular magnetic anions, yielding predominantly materials with conventional semiconducting or conducting properties, but also systems that are both superconducting and paramagnetic. But interesting bulk magnetic properties fail to develop, owing to the discrete nature of the inorganic anions. Another strategy for achieving cooperative magnetism involves insertion of functional bulky cations into a polymeric magnetic anion, such as the bimetallic oxalato complex [MnIICrIII(C2O4)3]-, but only insoluble powders have been obtained in most cases. Here we report the synthesis of single crystals formed by infinite sheets of this magnetic coordination polymer interleaved with layers of conducting BEDT-TTF cations, and show that this molecule-based compound displays ferromagnetism and metallic conductivity.     

一个具有四翼的混沌吸引子的混沌系统的分析与同步控制

在提出一个具有四翼混沌吸引子和每个方程含有一个三次非线性交叉乘积项的新复杂四维连续自治系统基础上,依据Lyapunov稳定性定理,采用非线性反馈控制,通过构造合适的响应系统,实现了新系统的错位同步控制．数值仿真结果表明,该非线性反馈控制器所要求的控制律简单易于实现,且收敛速度快．     

溶胶-凝胶技术制备纳米材料的研究进展

溶胶－凝胶技术是制备纳米材料的特殊工艺,工艺简单,易于操作。笔对溶胶－凝胶技术的基本过程、工艺特点进行了分析,从溶胶－凝胶技术在薄膜方面的应用、膜板合成纳米阵列,以及制备纳米复合材料等方面,对溶胶－凝胶技术制备纳米材料的研究状况进行了详尽阐述。     

Biological sensing of small field differences by magnetically sensitive chemical reactions

There is evidence that animals can detect small changes in the Earth's magnetic field by two distinct mechanisms, one using the mineral magnetite as the primary sensor and one using magnetically sensitive chemical reactions. Magnetite responds by physically twisting, or even reorienting the whole organism in the case of some bacteria, but the magnetic dipoles of individual molecules are too small to respond in the same way. Here we assess whether reactions whose rates are affected by the orientation of reactants in magnetic fields could form the basis of a biological compass. We use a general model, incorporating biological components and design criteria, to calculate realistic constraints for such a compass. This model compares a chemical signal produced owing to magnetic field effects with stochastic noise and with changes due to physiological temperature variation. Our analysis shows that a chemically based biological compass is feasible with its size, for any given detection limit, being dependent on the magnetic sensitivity of the rate constant of the chemical reaction.     

飞机纵向控制中的法向过载设计

以某飞机为研究对象，通过在俯仰角速度控制回路上加上法向过载回路作为外回路，实现飞机纵向控制中的法向过载设计．反馈增益的设计则选用输出反馈线性二次型算法，该算法可以同时闭合所有反馈环节，设计出所需要的反馈系数．分析了选用法向过载控制回路的合理性．最后，分别给出了低空、中空、高空该控制回路的阶跃响应，验证了该控制规律的有效性和正确性。     

一种新型的力反馈实现方法

针对虚拟现实和遥操作机器人技术的需要,提出了一种实现力反馈新技术.电流变液是一种智能材料,在电场作用下其流变学特性如粘度能够在几毫秒时间内发生连续可逆的变化.利用电流变液的这种特殊性能,采用类似汽缸和活塞的结构设计了一种力反馈装置,汽缸与活塞分别作为电场的两极,它们之间充满电流变液,当有电场存在时电流变液粘度发生变化,从而阻碍活塞相对汽缸的运动,产生连续可调的阻力.阐述了力反馈装置的设计方法,建立了结构模型和动力学模型,提出了由该装置实现的力反馈数据手套及其控制方法,最后进行虚拟碰撞实验验证了所提出方法的有效性.     

观测器与控制器的协调次优化设计方法

由于观测器具有闭环性质，因此用于构成状态反馈控制的时候，便形成以以及其观测器为内回路，状态反馈为外回路的串级双闭回路，不少学者已注意并发现了谐振问题，但至今仍没有人提出协调观测器与控制器的理论设计方法。本文提出一种理论的设计方法，具有一定的理论研究与应用价值。     

水泥土搅拌法加固冲填土软土地基的微观试验

针对某工程冲填土软土地基水泥土搅拌法处理过程中的冲填土与自然软土加固效果差异问题,从化学成分与物理结构等微观角度出发,分别对冲填土和自然软土的原状样、加固样进行了X射线衍射试验和扫描电镜试验两种微结构试验,对比分析了导致这种加固效果差异的微观机理及其形成原因.研究发现,物理微结构对冲填土软土地基的水泥土搅拌法加固效果存在重要的影响.虽然水泥土搅拌法加固冲填土与自然软土的化学反应是类似的,但加固后的土体在物理微结构特征上却差异显著,并导致加固土体宏观强度表现上的不同.因此,应采取相应的施工措施,改良冲填土的微观结构特征,优化地基加固效果.