Female mate-choice drives the evolution of male-biased dispersal in a social mammal

Dispersal has a significant impact on lifetime reproductive success, and is often more prevalent in one sex than the other. In group-living mammals, dispersal is normally male-biased and in theory this sexual bias could be a response by males to female mate preferences, competition for access to females or resources, or the result of males avoiding inbreeding. There is a lack of studies on social mammals that simultaneously assess these factors and measure the fitness consequences of male dispersal decisions. Here we show that male-biased dispersal in the spotted hyaena (Crocuta crocuta) most probably results from an adaptive response by males to simple female mate-choice rules that have evolved to avoid inbreeding. Microsatellite profiling revealed that females preferred sires that were born into or immigrated into the female's group after the female was born. Furthermore, young females preferred short-tenured sires and older females preferred longer-tenured sires. Males responded to these female mate preferences by initiating their reproductive careers in groups containing the highest number of young females. As a consequence, 11% of males started their reproductive career in their natal group and 89% of males dispersed. Males that started reproduction in groups containing the highest number of young females had a higher long-term reproductive success than males that did not. The female mate-choice rules ensured that females effectively avoided inbreeding without the need to discriminate directly against close kin or males born in their own group, or to favour immigrant males. The extent of male dispersal as a response to such female mate preferences depends on the demographic structure of breeding groups, rather than the genetic relatedness between females and males.     

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.     

First-passage times in complex scale-invariant media

How long does it take a random walker to reach a given target point? This quantity, known as a first-passage time (FPT), has led to a growing number of theoretical investigations over the past decade. The importance of FPTs originates from the crucial role played by first encounter properties in various real situations, including transport in disordered media, neuron firing dynamics, spreading of diseases or target search processes. Most methods of determining FPT properties in confining domains have been limited to effectively one-dimensional geometries, or to higher spatial dimensions only in homogeneous media. Here we develop a general theory that allows accurate evaluation of the mean FPT in complex media. Our analytical approach provides a universal scaling dependence of the mean FPT on both the volume of the confining domain and the source-target distance. The analysis is applicable to a broad range of stochastic processes characterized by length-scale-invariant properties. Our theoretical predictions are confirmed by numerical simulations for several representative models of disordered media, fractals, anomalous diffusion and scale-free networks.     

供热设计方案综合评价与优选研究

多目标综合效果测度法是一种非常有效的系统优化评价方法。从方案的经济性、技术性及对环境的影响等角度,对5种供热方案进行分析,运用多目标综合效果测度法对备选方案进行评价,确定污水源热泵系统为最佳方案。     

电磁阻尼器性能参数试验研究

电磁阻尼器性能与多种因素有关,在电磁阻尼器基本性能试验研究基础上,制作了一个电磁阻尼器模型,进行了涡流板厚度参数影响的试验研究:做了3种厚度涡流板在不同频率、不同位移情况下的试验,得到了涡流板厚度对阻尼器性能影响的定性结论。     

粘土基防渗浆材的实验研究

针对目前常用浆材的局限性和工程应用的需要,采用正交优化的实验方法研究一种以粘土为主的粘土基防渗浆材,浆材具有良好的稳定性和可灌性,其结石体具有低渗透性和较低强度,适用于非加固型的防渗注浆工程。     

QY25起重机行星变速箱优化设计

根据产品要求,对起重机起升机构中的行星变速箱进行优化设计,主要对变速箱中的齿轮进行高度变位计算,从而达到减轻整机的重量和体积,合理地确定已有参数,以期达到最佳设计的目的。     

维生素C-磷脂复合体抑制LPS诱导小鼠腹腔巨噬细胞氧化应激的研究

 为了比较维生素C-磷脂复合体（VitC-PC）和VitC体外抑制小鼠腹腔巨噬细胞氧化应激的活性,本研究提取小鼠腹腔巨噬细胞,在体外培养,用沙门氏菌脂多糖（LPS）诱导氧化应激,分别用不同浓度VitC和VitC-PC进行处理,测定培养液一氧化氮（NO）、乳酸脱氢酶（LDH）、丙二醛（MDA）和细胞内诱导性NO合成酶（iNOS）,以评价细胞炎性反应、细胞膜完整性和脂质过氧化程度。同时静息态腹腔巨噬细胞与不同浓度的VitC或VitC-PC共孵育,测定细胞内VitC浓度,以评价细胞摄取VitC或VitC-PC的效率。结果发现,在高浓度添加VitC时,巨噬细胞摄取VitC-PC的效率高于VitC（P<0.05）,VitC-PC抑制LPS诱导巨噬细胞释放NO、发生脂质过氧化（产生MDA）和细胞膜损伤（LDH泄露）的效率显著高于VitC（P<0.05）。因此,本研究证明VitC-PC比VitC更易进入细胞内部发挥抗氧化作用。