Genome sequence and analysis of the tuber crop potato

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is the world's most important non-grain food crop and is central to global food security. It is clonally propagated, highly heterozygous, autotetraploid, and suffers acute inbreeding depression. Here we use a homozygous doubled-monoploid potato clone to sequence and assemble 86% of the 844-megabase genome. We predict 39,031 protein-coding genes and present evidence for at least two genome duplication events indicative of a palaeopolyploid origin. As the first genome sequence of an asterid, the potato genome reveals 2,642 genes specific to this large angiosperm clade. We also sequenced a heterozygous diploid clone and show that gene presence/absence variants and other potentially deleterious mutations occur frequently and are a likely cause of inbreeding depression. Gene family expansion, tissue-specific expression and recruitment of genes to new pathways contributed to the evolution of tuber development. The potato genome sequence provides a platform for genetic improvement of this vital crop.     

Observed increase in local cooling effect of deforestation at higher latitudes

Deforestation in mid- to high latitudes is hypothesized to have the potential to cool the Earth's surface by altering biophysical processes. In climate models of continental-scale land clearing, the cooling is triggered by increases in surface albedo and is reinforced by a land albedo-sea ice feedback. This feedback is crucial in the model predictions; without it other biophysical processes may overwhelm the albedo effect to generate warming instead. Ongoing land-use activities, such as land management for climate mitigation, are occurring at local scales (hectares) presumably too small to generate the feedback, and it is not known whether the intrinsic biophysical mechanism on its own can change the surface temperature in a consistent manner. Nor has the effect of deforestation on climate been demonstrated over large areas from direct observations. Here we show that surface air temperature is lower in open land than in nearby forested land. The effect is 0.85 ± 0.44 K (mean ± one standard deviation) northwards of 45° N and 0.21 ± 0.53 K southwards. Below 35° N there is weak evidence that deforestation leads to warming. Results are based on comparisons of temperature at forested eddy covariance towers in the USA and Canada and, as a proxy for small areas of cleared land, nearby surface weather stations. Night-time temperature changes unrelated to changes in surface albedo are an important contributor to the overall cooling effect. The observed latitudinal dependence is consistent with theoretical expectation of changes in energy loss from convection and radiation across latitudes in both the daytime and night-time phase of the diurnal cycle, the latter of which remains uncertain in climate models.     

Comprehensive analysis of the chromatin landscape in Drosophila melanogaster

Chromatin is composed of DNA and a variety of modified histones and non-histone proteins, which have an impact on cell differentiation, gene regulation and other key cellular processes. Here we present a genome-wide chromatin landscape for Drosophila melanogaster based on eighteen histone modifications, summarized by nine prevalent combinatorial patterns. Integrative analysis with other data (non-histone chromatin proteins, DNase I hypersensitivity, GRO-Seq reads produced by engaged polymerase, short/long RNA products) reveals discrete characteristics of chromosomes, genes, regulatory elements and other functional domains. We find that active genes display distinct chromatin signatures that are correlated with disparate gene lengths, exon patterns, regulatory functions and genomic contexts. We also demonstrate a diversity of signatures among Polycomb targets that include a subset with paused polymerase. This systematic profiling and integrative analysis of chromatin signatures provides insights into how genomic elements are regulated, and will serve as a resource for future experimental investigations of genome structure and function.     

PDGF signalling controls age-dependent proliferation in pancreatic β-cells

Determining the signalling pathways that direct tissue expansion is a principal goal of regenerative biology. Vigorous pancreatic β-cell replication in juvenile mice and humans declines with age, and elucidating the basis for this decay may reveal strategies for inducing β-cell expansion, a long-sought goal for diabetes therapy. Here we show that platelet-derived growth factor receptor (Pdgfr) signalling controls age-dependent β-cell proliferation in mouse and human pancreatic islets. With age, declining β-cell Pdgfr levels were accompanied by reductions in β-cell enhancer of zeste homologue 2 (Ezh2) levels and β-cell replication. Conditional inactivation of the Pdgfra gene in β-cells accelerated these changes, preventing mouse neonatal β-cell expansion and adult β-cell regeneration. Targeted human PDGFR-α activation in mouse β-cells stimulated Erk1/2 phosphorylation, leading to Ezh2-dependent expansion of adult β-cells. Adult human islets lack PDGF signalling competence, but exposure of juvenile human islets to PDGF-AA stimulated β-cell proliferation. The discovery of a conserved pathway controlling age-dependent β-cell proliferation indicates new strategies for β-cell expansion.     

贵阳二环林带种子植物区系研究

贵阳二环林带现有种子植物489种,隶属于107科334属.科级区系成分中,热带性质的占总科数(除世界分布科外)的64.79%,温带性质的科占32.39%,中国特有科占2.82%;属级区系成分中,有15种分布区类型和12种变型,其中热带分布133属,占总属数(除世界分布属外)的44.33%,温带分布共157属,占52.33%,中国特有7属,占2.33%.该区植物区系介于热带与温带之间,属亚热带区系性质.     

Experimental study of heat transfer of ultra-supercritical pressure water in vertical upward internally ribbed tube

Under ultra-supercritical pressure, the heat transfer characteristics of water in vertical upward 4-head internally ribbed tubes with a diameter of 28.65mm and thickness of 8mm were experimentally studied. The experiments were performed at P=25～34MPa, G=450～1800kg/(m2·s) and q=200～600kW/m2. The results show that the pressure has only a moderate effect on the heat transfer of ultra-supercritical water when the water temperature is below the pseudocritical point. Sharp rise of the wall temperature near the pesudocritical region occurs earlier at a higher pressure. Increasing the mass velocity improves the heat transfer with a much stronger effect below the pesudocritical point than that above the pesudocritical point. For given pressure and mass velocity, the inner wall heat flux also shows a significant effect on the inner wall temperature, with a higher inner wall heat flux leading to a higher inner wall temperature. Increasing of inner wall heat flux leads to an early occurrence of sharp rise of the wall temperature. Correlations of heat transfer coefficients are also presented for vertical upward internally ribbed tubes.     

数理逻辑之研究对象、学科归属、定义及研究领域

鉴于对数理逻辑这一学科的定义、研究对象、研究领域与学科归属等问题,尚无一个一致的说法,有的已不符合历史发展的现状.例如,就学科归属而言,就有两种说法其一说数理逻辑是数学的一个分支;其二说数理逻辑是逻辑学的一个分支,如此等等.有的数理逻辑著作中完全不论及这类问题.为此,本文从数理逻辑历史发展的几个侧面加以分析,并综合各家之长对数理逻辑的定义、研究对象、研究领域与学科归属等问题进行了探讨.     

The neuronal sortilin-related receptor SORL1 is genetically associated with Alzheimer disease

The recycling of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) from the cell surface via the endocytic pathways plays a key role in the generation of amyloid beta peptide (Abeta) in Alzheimer disease. We report here that inherited variants in the SORL1 neuronal sorting receptor are associated with late-onset Alzheimer disease. These variants, which occur in at least two different clusters of intronic sequences within the SORL1 gene (also known as LR11 or SORLA) may regulate tissue-specific expression of SORL1. We also show that SORL1 directs trafficking of APP into recycling pathways and that when SORL1 is underexpressed, APP is sorted into Abeta-generating compartments. These data suggest that inherited or acquired changes in SORL1 expression or function are mechanistically involved in causing Alzheimer disease.