Three-dimensional chromatin distribution in neuroblastoma nuclei shown by confocal scanning laser microscopy

The relationship between cell shape and function has long been of interest. However, although the behaviour of the cytoskeleton during the cell cycle has been studied extensively variations in the shape and three-dimensional substructure of the nucleus are less well documented. The spatial distribution of chromatin has previously been studied by a mathematical analysis of the optical densities of stained nuclei, allowing an indirect derivation of the three-dimensional distribution of chromatin. More direct information on chromatin organization can be obtained from electron-microscopic serial sections, although this is very laborious. Using an iterative deconvolution algorithm, Agard and Sedat achieved a degree of optical sectioning in conventional fluorescence microscopy and reconstructed the three-dimensional arrangement of polytene chromosomes. We report here on the three-dimensional structure of cultured mammalian cells as visualized by confocal scanning laser microscopy (CSLM). The exceptionally short depth of field of this imaging technique provides direct optical sectioning which, together with its higher resolution, makes CSLM extremely useful for studying the three-dimensional morphology of biological structures.     

微分动力系统的几何结构

本取流形上光滑的切向量场为动力系统的状态向量场，建立了黎曼流形上的微分动力系统，讨论了动力系统解的存在唯一性，几何结构对结构稳定性的影响，以及动力系统的约化等问题。     

Differential activation of myotube nuclei following exposure to an acetylcholine receptor-inducing factor

A glycoprotein purified from chick brain, of relative molecular mass 42,000, increases the rate of appearance of acetylcholine receptors (AChRs) on the surface of chick myotubes. RNase protection assays have shown that this AChR-inducing activity (ARIA) increases the amount of mRNA encoding the alpha-subunit of the AChR, with little or no effect on the amounts of gamma- and delta-mRNAs2. Here, we report that the mRNAs encoding the alpha- and gamma-subunits of the receptor detected by in situ hybridization are concentrated around nuclei in cultured myotubes. Consistent with previous results, ARIA selectively increased the amount of alpha-subunit mRNA, but we now find that all nuclei were not activated to the same extent, with a substantial number not responding at all. Assuming that ARIA is released by motor nerve terminals, our results indicate that only a subset of muscle nuclei are capable of contributing to the accumulation of AChRs at developing neuromuscular junctions.     

Abrupt changes in flagellar rotation observed by laser dark-field microscopy

Bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium swim by rotating their flagella, each of which consists of an external helical filament and a rotary motor embedded in the cell surface. The function of the flagellar motor has been examined mainly by tethering the flagellar filament to a glass slide and observing the resultant rotation of the cell body. But under these conditions the motor operates at a very low speed (about 10 r.p.s.) owing to the unnaturally high load conditions inherent in this technique. Lowe et al. analysed the frequency of light scattered from swimming cells to estimate the average rotation speed of flagellar bundles of E. coli as about 270 r.p.s. To analyse motor function in more detail, however, measurement of high-speed rotation of a single flagellum (at low load) with a temporal resolution better than 1 ms is needed. We have now developed a new method--laser dark-field microscopy--which fulfils these requirements. We find that although the average rotation speed of S. typhimurium flagella is rather stable, there are occasional abrupt slowdowns, pauses and reversals (accomplished within 1 ms). These changes were frequently observed in mutants defective in one of the motor components (called the switch complex), suggesting that this component is important not only in switching rotational direction but also in torque generation or regulation.     

An atomic force microscopy study of coal nanopore structure

Coal nanopore structure is an important factor in understanding the storage and migration of absorbed gas in coal. A new method for studying coal nanopore structures is proposed. This idea is based on the nano-level resolution of atomic force microscopy, which can be employed to observe the structural features of coal nanopores clearly, conduct quantitative three-dimensional measurements and obtain structural parameters. Analysis results show that coal nanopores are mainly metamorphic pores and intermolecul...     

利用直接核反应研究轻丰中子核的奇特结构

直接核反应是研究丰中子区核结构的重要手段．我们发展了质子标记的敲出反应实验方法,并用于^6He和^8He的结构研究,给出了^7He共振态至今最精确的测量结果．发展了多中子关联测量技术,并基于此重建了^8He激发态以及研究了^8He中的双中子关联．通过屹Be的非弹散射实验,观测到若干共振态,构成^6He＋^6He和^4He＋^8He两条分子转动带,支持挖Be的α-4n-α集团结构．     

利用原子力显微镜表征页岩孔隙结构特征

页岩储层孔隙结构复杂,非均质性强,矿物组分多样,这些储层特性加大了页岩油的开采难度。为了更好地表征页岩孔隙结构,利用原子力显微镜(atomic force microscope, AFM)技术,结合Gwyddion软件对大港、吉木萨尔和松辽盆地页岩的孔隙结构以及表面粗糙度进行了表征。结合快速傅里叶变换(fast Fourier transform, FFT)分析页岩的非均质性,采用分水岭法识别孔隙分布特征,分析不同地区页岩储层的孔隙结构差异。原子力显微镜可以对页岩的表面形貌进行表征,通过平均粗糙度、均方粗糙度、表面偏度和峰度系数等参数对表面粗糙度进行评价,可以准确表征页岩纳米级的孔隙结构,包括孔隙数量、孔隙大小、孔隙面积、孔隙体积和孔隙度等。结果表明：大港和吉木萨尔页岩的表面高度较高,松辽盆地页岩表面高度较低,大港页岩非均质性较强,孔隙主要以微孔为主,吉木萨尔页岩和松辽盆地页岩非均质性较弱,中孔和宏孔数量较多,孔隙发育较好。     

桁架结构可靠性优化设计的微分演化算法

针对不确定性往往成为结构设计和可靠性分析的关键因素,并左右设计决策,在结构优化设计中考虑物理参数、几何尺寸和外荷载的不确定性,将其视为随机变数,提出了一种基于微分演化算法的求解不确定性问题的结构可靠性优化设计方法.以节点坐标和杆件截面面积为设计变量,结构重量极小化为目标函数,建立了基于可靠度约束的桁架形状优化数学模型,并对典型桁架进行形状优化,分析了不同可靠度指标和变异系数对优化结果的影响.结果表明:该分析方法能够充分发挥微分演化算法的优势,可以有效地进行基于可靠度的桁架结构形状优化设计.     

利用偏振态法测量光纤偏振效应

在庞加莱球的基础上,对原来偏振模色散的测量方法进行了理论分析,研究表明,一阶偏振模色散测量的误差影响二阶偏振模色散的测量.通过推导,提出了利用偏振态测量二阶偏振模色散的方法.此外,基于具有偏振相关损失和双折射的密勒矩阵洛伦兹变化特性,推导出利用偏振态测量偏振相关损失的简化方法,证实了测量偏振相关损失取决于密勒矩阵的第一列元素,该方法对于偏振相关损失的测量只需要2个输人偏振态,因此具有测量速度快和测量误差小的优点.实验的测量结果证实了利用偏振态测量2种光纤偏振效应的可靠性.     

Complex zeolite structure solved by combining powder diffraction and electron microscopy

Many industrially important materials, ranging from ceramics to catalysts to pharmaceuticals, are polycrystalline and cannot be grown as single crystals. This means that non-conventional methods of structure analysis must be applied to obtain the structural information that is fundamental to the understanding of the properties of these materials. Electron microscopy might appear to be a natural approach, but only relatively simple structures have been solved by this route. Powder diffraction is another obvious option, but the overlap of reflections with similar diffraction angles causes an ambiguity in the relative intensities of those reflections. Various ways of overcoming or circumventing this problem have been developed, and several of these involve incorporating chemical information into the structure determination process. For complex zeolite structures, the FOCUS algorithm has proved to be effective. Because it operates in both real and reciprocal space, phase information obtained from high-resolution transmission electron microscopy images can be incorporated directly into this algorithm in a simple way. Here we show that by doing so, the complexity limit can be extended much further. The power of this approach has been demonstrated with the solution of the structure of the zeolite TNU-9 (|H9.3|[Al9.3Si182.7O384]; ref. 10) with 24 topologically distinct (Si,Al) atoms and 52 such O atoms. For comparison, ITQ-22 (ref. 11), the most complex zeolite known to date, has 16 topologically distinct (Si,Ge) atoms.     

石油焦燃烧过程中孔隙结构变化实验研究

应用氮气等温吸附/脱附法分析了2种石油焦在燃烧过程中孔隙结构的变化.采用BET法和t法测定不同燃尽率的石油焦的比表面积和孔容积,并用FHH模型求得各样品的表面分形维数.实验结果表明:石油焦的孔隙结构在燃烧过程中变得发达,比表面积和孔容积较原样明显增大且变化基本趋势一致;石油焦的燃烧具有分形动力学的行为特征,且表面分形维数的变化趋势和比表面积和孔容积不同.燃烧时分形维数接近3,表明石油焦的燃烧反应在空间网格结构的内、外部同时发生.     

安徽省城镇居民消费结构变化的实证分析

采用ＬＥＳ系统方法对安徽省城镇居民消费结构的边际预算份额、基本需求支出及需求总支出弹性变化进行实证分析．实证结果表明，９０年代以来，安徽省城镇居民的消费结构正经历着从吃、穿、用到吃、玩、穿、用并重的转变，以追求数量向追求质量转变，从注重物质消费向追求精神消费转变．相应地从产业结构调整、产品结构升级换代、完善消费环境等３个角度提出了扩大安徽省城镇居民消费需求的政策建议．