Spasmin-like proteins in various ciliates revealed by antibody to purified spasmins ofCarchesium polypinum

Summary It was found that some ciliates,Stentor, Spirostomum andBlepharisma, which can contract rapidly like the stalks of Vorticellidae, have Ca²⁺-binding proteins that are very similar to spasmins, in the immunological sense. The presence of spasmins in other Protozoa and in some Metazoa was also investigated.     

Spasmin-like proteins in various ciliates revealed by antibody to purified spasmins of Carchesium polypinum

It was found that some ciliates, Stentor, Spirostomum and Blepharisma, which can contract rapidly like the stalks of Vorticellidae, have Ca2+-binding proteins that are very similar to spasmins, in the immunological sense. The presence of spasmins in other Protozoa and in some Metazoa was also investigated.     

The voltage-sensitive sodium channel is a bell-shaped molecule with several cavities

Voltage-sensitive membrane channels, the sodium channel, the potassium channel and the calcium channel operate together to amplify, transmit and generate electric pulses in higher forms of life. Sodium and calcium channels are involved in cell excitation, neuronal transmission, muscle contraction and many functions that relate directly to human diseases. Sodium channels--glycosylated proteins with a relative molecular mass of about 300,000 (ref. 5)--are responsible for signal transduction and amplification, and are chief targets of anaesthetic drugs and neurotoxins. Here we present the three-dimensional structure of the voltage-sensitive sodium channel from the eel Electrophorus electricus. The 19 A structure was determined by helium-cooled cryo-electron microscopy and single-particle image analysis of the solubilized sodium channel. The channel has a bell-shaped outer surface of 135 A in height and 100 A in side length at the square-shaped bottom, and a spherical top with a diameter of 65 A. Several inner cavities are connected to four small holes and eight orifices close to the extracellular and cytoplasmic membrane surfaces. Homologous voltage-sensitive calcium and tetrameric potassium channels, which regulate secretory processes and the membrane potential, may possess a related structure.     

日本对数字化学习技术标准的推动

日本数字化学习行业认识到开放技术和开放标准的重要性，因此一直在努力推广它们；由供应商和用户机构联合成立的“日本数字化学习联盟”（e-Learning Consortium Japan）已经实施了一些项目，以推动数字化学习技术与开发的标准化工作.本文主要介绍，该联盟为实现“内容共享对象参考模型”（Sharable Content Object Reference Model, SCORM）标准方案而开展的软件模块开发项目和SCORM工程师认证项目.     

魏晋南北朝时期的历法

该文是著者《中国的天文历法》一书的第三章，主要内容为：（１）三国时代历法；（２）晋代历法；（３）南北朝时代历法。     

Geophysical evidence from the MELT area for compositional controls on oceanic plates

Magnetotelluric and seismic data, collected during the MELT experiment at the southern East Pacific Rise, constrain the distribution of melt beneath this mid-ocean-ridge spreading centre and also the evolution of the oceanic lithosphere during its early cooling history. Here we focus on structures imaged at distances approximately 100 to 350 km east of the ridge crest, corresponding to seafloor ages of approximately 1.3 to 4.5 million years (Myr), where the seismic and electrical conductivity structure is nearly constant and independent of age. Beginning at a depth of about 60 km, we image a large increase in electrical conductivity and a change from isotropic to transversely anisotropic electrical structure, with higher conductivity in the direction of fast propagation for seismic waves. Conductive cooling models predict structure that increases in depth with age, extending to about 30 km at 4.5 Myr ago. We infer, however, that the structure of young oceanic plates is instead controlled by a decrease in water content above a depth of 60 km induced by the melting process beneath the spreading centre.