哀牢山4个海拔梯度树干节肢动物群落比较

作者在2013年4月(干季),运用树干喷雾法调查了哀牢山中山湿性常绿阔叶林2 000,2 200,2 400,2 600 m海拔的树干节肢动物群落.结果显示,所调查树干节肢动物群落隶属于7纲30个类群(目),主要由弹尾目、蜱螨目、蜘蛛目、双翅目、膜翅目、鞘翅目、啮虫目、半翅目同翅亚目、缨翅目等组成.不同海拔间树干节肢动物群落组成显著不同(基于Bray-Curtis相似性),其个体数量(密度)总体呈现出沿海拔升高而上升的趋势,但不同类群的个体密度随海拔梯度表现出不同的分布差异.树种和树皮粗糙度对树干节肢动物群落总体的影响不显著,但对少数节肢动物类群的密度呈现显著影响.表明海拔差异(温度和湿度)对树干节肢动物的影响显著高于微环境差异(树种和树皮粗糙度).     

Whole-genome sequencing of liver cancers identifies etiological influences on mutation patterns and recurrent mutations in chromatin regulators

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. We sequenced and analyzed the whole genomes of 27 HCCs, 25 of which were associated with hepatitis B or C virus infections, including two sets of multicentric tumors. Although no common somatic mutations were identified in the multicentric tumor pairs, their whole-genome substitution patterns were similar, suggesting that these tumors developed from independent mutations, although their shared etiological backgrounds may have strongly influenced their somatic mutation patterns. Statistical and functional analyses yielded a list of recurrently mutated genes. Multiple chromatin regulators, including ARID1A, ARID1B, ARID2, MLL and MLL3, were mutated in ～50% of the tumors. Hepatitis B virus genome integration in the TERT locus was frequently observed in a high clonal proportion. Our whole-genome sequencing analysis of HCCs identified the influence of etiological background on somatic mutation patterns and subsequent carcinogenesis, as well as recurrent mutations in chromatin regulators in HCCs.     

CD38 is critical for social behaviour by regulating oxytocin secretion

CD38, a transmembrane glycoprotein with ADP-ribosyl cyclase activity, catalyses the formation of Ca2+ signalling molecules, but its role in the neuroendocrine system is unknown. Here we show that adult CD38 knockout (CD38-/-) female and male mice show marked defects in maternal nurturing and social behaviour, respectively, with higher locomotor activity. Consistently, the plasma level of oxytocin (OT), but not vasopressin, was strongly decreased in CD38-/- mice. Replacement of OT by subcutaneous injection or lentiviral-vector-mediated delivery of human CD38 in the hypothalamus rescued social memory and maternal care in CD38-/- mice. Depolarization-induced OT secretion and Ca2+ elevation in oxytocinergic neurohypophysial axon terminals were disrupted in CD38-/- mice; this was mimicked by CD38 metabolite antagonists in CD38+/+ mice. These results reveal that CD38 has a key role in neuropeptide release, thereby critically regulating maternal and social behaviours, and may be an element in neurodevelopmental disorders.     

Activation of the DNA damage checkpoint and genomic instability in human precancerous lesions

DNA damage checkpoint genes, such as p53, are frequently mutated in human cancer, but the selective pressure for their inactivation remains elusive. We analysed a panel of human lung hyperplasias, all of which retained wild-type p53 genes and had no signs of gross chromosomal instability, and found signs of a DNA damage response, including histone H2AX and Chk2 phosphorylation, p53 accumulation, focal staining of p53 binding protein 1 (53BP1) and apoptosis. Progression to carcinoma was associated with p53 or 53BP1 inactivation and decreased apoptosis. A DNA damage response was also observed in dysplastic nevi and in human skin xenografts, in which hyperplasia was induced by overexpression of growth factors. Both lung and experimentally-induced skin hyperplasias showed allelic imbalance at loci that are prone to DNA double-strand break formation when DNA replication is compromised (common fragile sites). We propose that, from its earliest stages, cancer development is associated with DNA replication stress, which leads to DNA double-strand breaks, genomic instability and selective pressure for p53 mutations.     

Guidance of optic nerve fibres by N-cadherin adhesion molecules

The dendritic branches (neurites) of developing neurons migrate along specific pathways to reach their targets. It has been suggested that this migration is guided by factors present on the surface of other neurons or glial cells. The molecular nature of such factors, however, remains to be elucidated. N-cadherin is a cell-surface glycoprotein which belongs to the cadherin family of cell-cell adhesion molecules. This adhesion molecule is expressed in various neuronal cells as well as in glial cells of the central and peripheral nervous systems in vertebrate embryos and recent immunological studies suggested that N-cadherin may play a role in guiding the migration of neurites on myotubes or astrocytes. To further examine this possibility, we used a molecular-genetic approach; that is, we examined the outgrowth of chicken embryonic optic axons on monolayer cultures of Neuro 2a or L cells transfected with the complementary DNA encoding chicken N-cadherin. The data indicate that N-cadherin is used as a guide molecule for the migration of optic axons on cell surfaces.     

Properties of garnet-type Li6La3ZrTaO12 solid electrolyte films fabricated by aerosol deposition method

The garnet-type Li_6La_3ZrTaO_(12)(LLZT) solid electrolyte films were fabricated by aerosol deposition(AD)method.Ball-milled LLZT powder with a cubic garnet structure and a particle size of 1-2 urn was used as raw material and deposited directly on a SUS316L or a glass substrate via impact consolidation.As-deposited LLZT film has a cubic garnet structure but contains Li_2CO_3 and La_2Zr_2O_7 phases.SEM observation revealed that the film consists of LLZT particles fractured into submicron size.The impurity phase formation during AD process was caused by the local heating by the collision between LLZT particles and deposition surface and reaction with CO_2.The Li~+ ion conductivity of LLZT film was estimated to be 0.24 × 10~(-5)S cm~(-1) at room temperature.Electronic conductivity of LLZT film was confirmed to be around 10~(-12) S cm~(-1),indicating the dominant Li~+ ion conduction of LLZT film.     

Superconductors: unusual oxygen isotope effects in cuprates?

The possibility that a pairing boson might act as the 'glue' to bind electrons into a Cooper pair in superconductors with a high critical temperature (T(c)) is being actively pursued in condensed-matter physics. Gweon et al. claim that there is a large and unusual oxygen-isotope effect on the electronic structure, indicating that phonons have a special importance in high-temperature superconductors. However, we are unable to detect this unusual oxygen-isotope effect in new data collected under almost identical material and experimental conditions. Our findings point towards a more conventional influence of phonons in these materials.     

永磁同步电动机中永磁体的三维涡流分析

有效准确地分析在正弦电压驱动下永磁同步电动机中永磁体的涡流损耗是研究实际电机发热及温升的关键。该文利用有限元方法,建立了场路紧密耦合的三维模型,对一台500 kW/60 H z内嵌式永磁同步电动机进行仿真研究,分析了在三相正弦电压源驱动下的气隙旋转磁场、转矩及考虑时间谐波作用下永磁体的涡流损耗,并阐明了电流的不同谐波分量对永磁体涡流损耗的影响。分析结果表明,轴向分割永磁块能将永磁体中涡流损耗降低至50%,并且减小齿槽谐波电流也能有效地降低永磁体中涡流损耗。