A role for adult TLX-positive neural stem cells in learning and behaviour

Neurogenesis persists in the adult brain and can be regulated by a plethora of external stimuli, such as learning, memory, exercise, environment and stress. Although newly generated neurons are able to migrate and preferentially incorporate into the neural network, how these cells are molecularly regulated and whether they are required for any normal brain function are unresolved questions. The adult neural stem cell pool is composed of orphan nuclear receptor TLX-positive cells. Here, using genetic approaches in mice, we demonstrate that TLX (also called NR2E1) regulates adult neural stem cell proliferation in a cell-autonomous manner by controlling a defined genetic network implicated in cell proliferation and growth. Consequently, specific removal of TLX from the adult mouse brain through inducible recombination results in a significant reduction of stem cell proliferation and a marked decrement in spatial learning. In contrast, the resulting suppression of adult neurogenesis does not affect contextual fear conditioning, locomotion or diurnal rhythmic activities, indicating a more selective contribution of newly generated neurons to specific cognitive functions.     

教师对语言学习的促进作用

讨论了教师对于语言学习的促进作用,即教师的中介作用.对教师中介作用的基本概念和各种理论,以及如何应用相关理论于课堂教学进行了探讨.通过对教师对语言学习促进作用的研究,使教育者能够意识到中介作用的重要性,进而在教学过程中最大程度上帮助学习者,达到事半功倍的效果.     

教师对语言学习的促进作用

讨论了教师对于语言学习的促进作用,即教师的中介作用。对教师中介作用的基本概念和各种理论,以及如何应用相关理论于课堂教学进行了探讨。通过对教师对语言学习促进作用的研究,使教育者能够意识到中介作用的重要性,进而在教学过程中最大程度上帮助学习者,达到事半功倍的效果。     

A selective deficit for writing vowels in acquired dysgraphia

Brain-damaged patients with acquired writing disorders provide important information about the normal processes of spelling and writing. Current models indicate that to produce a letter string, its 'abstract' representation is computed and stored in a temporary orthographic buffer, from which it is converted to a verbal code (if the word is to be spelled aloud) or to a physical letter code (if the word is to be written). The stored graphemic representations specify the identity and order of the component letters and their consonant/vowel status. Here I describe the spelling performance of two patients with a selective deficit in writing vowels. When writing words, the first patient omitted all vowels, leaving a blank space between consonants or consonant clusters, whereas the second produced errors that almost exclusively involved vowels. This pattern of performance supports the hypothesis that the consonant/vowel status of graphemes is differentially specified in the spelling process and may be selectively affected after brain damage.     

一种用于车辆检测的选择性背景更新方法

针对传统背景更新方法实时性差,不能及时正确地处理背景局部突变的问题,文章提出一种用于车辆检测的选择性背景更新方法.该方法采用改进的对称差分法和背景帧差相融合检测车辆运动区域,并使每一个运动目标成为独立的连通域;采用基于两轮扫描法的种子填充技术,解决由于车辆表面与路面灰度接近而产生的运动目标"孔洞"问题;在此基础上对传统...     

A subset of dopamine neurons signals reward for odour memory in Drosophila

Animals approach stimuli that predict a pleasant outcome. After the paired presentation of an odour and a reward, Drosophila melanogaster can develop a conditioned approach towards that odour. Despite recent advances in understanding the neural circuits for associative memory and appetitive motivation, the cellular mechanisms for reward processing in the fly brain are unknown. Here we show that a group of dopamine neurons in the protocerebral anterior medial (PAM) cluster signals sugar reward by transient activation and inactivation of target neurons in intact behaving flies. These dopamine neurons are selectively required for the reinforcing property of, but not a reflexive response to, the sugar stimulus. In vivo calcium imaging revealed that these neurons are activated by sugar ingestion and the activation is increased on starvation. The output sites of the PAM neurons are mainly localized to the medial lobes of the mushroom bodies (MBs), where appetitive olfactory associative memory is formed. We therefore propose that the PAM cluster neurons endow a positive predictive value to the odour in the MBs. Dopamine in insects is known to mediate aversive reinforcement signals. Our results highlight the cellular specificity underlying the various roles of dopamine and the importance of spatially segregated local circuits within the MBs.     

A role for branchpoints in splicing in vivo

The nucleotides immediately surrounding intron/exon junctions of genes transcribed by RNA polymerase B can be derived from 'consensus' sequences for donor and acceptor splice sites by only a few base changes. Studies in vivo have underlined the importance of these junction nucleotides for splicing. In higher eukaryotes, no evidence has been found for specific internal intron sequences involved in splicing. However, the recent discovery that, in vitro, introns are excised in a lariat form where the 5' end of the intron is joined via a 2'-5'-phosphodiester linkage to an A residue (branchpoint acceptor) close to the 3' end of the intron, suggests that internal intron sequences may nonetheless be important for splicing. Indeed, in yeast nuclear genes, the internal sequence 5'-TACTAAC-3' (or close homologue) is essential for splicing in vivo. A proposed consensus sequence for branchpoints in mammalian introns is 5'-CT(A/G)A(C/T)-3'. This sequence resembles the essential yeast internal sequence. Are branchpoints involved in the splicing of introns of higher eukaryotes in vivo? We show here that a branchpoint sequence from a human globin gene (5'-CTGACTCTCTCTG-3') greatly enhances the efficiency of splicing of a 'synthetic' intron in HeLa cells. A mutated branchpoint sequence, 5'-CTCCTCTCTCTG-3', in which the branchpoint acceptor nucleotide A has been deleted and the neighbouring purine G mutated to a C, does not exhibit this enhancing capability. We conclude that branchpoints have an important function in the splicing process in vivo.     

跨文化意识对外语学习的作用

讨论了跨文化交际与跨文化意识在外语学习中的作用,主要包括:文化意识促进对词汇的理解和记忆;有助于对句子结构的掌握及消除文化交流中的误解等.     

一种抗噪的概念漂移数据流分类方法

隐含概念漂移的数据流分类问题是数据挖掘领域研究的热点之一,而实际数据中的噪音会直接影响概念漂移检测及分类质量,因此具有良好抗噪性能的数据流分类方法具有重要的研究和应用价值.随机决策树的集成模型是一种有效的数据流分类模型,为此本文基于随机决策树,引入Hoeffding Bounds不等式来检测和区分概念漂移和噪音,根据检测结果动态调整滑动窗口的大小和漂移检测周期,并提出一种增量式的集成分类方法ICDC,实验结果表明,本文算法在含噪音数据流上处理概念漂移是有效的.     

跨文化意识对外语学习的作用

讨论了跨文化交际与跨文化意识在外语学习中的作用,主要包括：文化意识促进对词汇的理解和记忆;有助于对句子结构的掌握及消除文化交流中的误解等.     

Computational roles for dopamine in behavioural control

Neuromodulators such as dopamine have a central role in cognitive disorders. In the past decade, biological findings on dopamine function have been infused with concepts taken from computational theories of reinforcement learning. These more abstract approaches have now been applied to describe the biological algorithms at play in our brains when we form value judgements and make choices. The application of such quantitative models has opened up new fields, ripe for attack by young synthesizers and theoreticians.     

A role for graphene in silicon-based semiconductor devices

As silicon-based electronics approach the limit of improvements to performance and capacity through dimensional scaling, attention in the semiconductor field has turned to graphene, a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb lattice. Its high mobility of charge carriers (electrons and holes) could lead to its use in the next generation of high-performance devices. Graphene is unlikely to replace silicon completely, however, because of the poor on/off current ratio resulting from its zero bandgap. But it could be used to improve silicon-based devices, in particular in high-speed electronics and optical modulators.     

一种新的基于多示例学习的场景分类方法

多示例学习是近年来才出现的一种新的学习框架,并以其对多义性对象的出色表示能力而被成功地运用在图像分类任务中。首先提出了一种新的图像多示例包生成方式,采用特征的概率分布表示图像,并对图像像素分布提取一个高斯混合模型,将每个高斯分布作为一个示例,生成图像的多示例包。然后,在对图像进行分类时,采用了信息瓶颈聚类把多示例包转化成单示例,从而将传统的单示例分类器用在该问题上。为了提高分类器的泛化能力,对多个分类器进行了集成。选取了5类自然场景图像进行试验,结果显示所提出的方法平均性能优于当前常用的一些多示例学习算法。     

A hybrid genetic algorithm for supervised inductive learning

A novel algorithm is presented for supervised inductive learning by integrating a genetic algorithm with bottom-up induction process. The hybrid learning algorithm has been implemented in C on a personal computer (386DX/40). The performance of the algorithm has been evaluated by applying it to 11-multiplexer problem and the results show that the algorithm's accuracy is higher than the others[5, 12, 13].     

A disinhibitory microcircuit for associative fear learning in the auditory cortex

Learning causes a change in how information is processed by neuronal circuits. Whereas synaptic plasticity, an important cellular mechanism, has been studied in great detail, we know much less about how learning is implemented at the level of neuronal circuits and, in particular, how interactions between distinct types of neurons within local networks contribute to the process of learning. Here we show that acquisition of associative fear memories depends on the recruitment of a disinhibitory microcircuit in the mouse auditory cortex. Fear-conditioning-associated disinhibition in auditory cortex is driven by foot-shock-mediated cholinergic activation of layer 1 interneurons, in turn generating inhibition of layer 2/3 parvalbumin-positive interneurons. Importantly, pharmacological or optogenetic block of pyramidal neuron disinhibition abolishes fear learning. Together, these data demonstrate that stimulus convergence in the auditory cortex is necessary for associative fear learning to complex tones, define the circuit elements mediating this convergence and suggest that layer-1-mediated disinhibition is an important mechanism underlying learning and information processing in neocortical circuits.